Pacifica’s still building on the edge

Beach Blvd in Pacifica, which is three blocks closer to the ocean than it was a century ago, continues to be battered by waves that seem to be getting closer all the time. Julia Scott has a disquieting article in the County Times about the imperative to build on the coast:

The length of Beach Boulevard is fortified by concrete sea walls bolstered by heavy rocks that line the beach, but recent events have proved once again how vulnerable the system is when faced with the ceaseless, heavy, pounding tides. Last week, city workers finished filling a 30-foot-wide sinkhole that developed under the sidewalk of Beach Boulevard when the sea wall was breached, giving the ocean access to layers of sand and soil behind it.

Residents of Beach Boulevard now make a habit of leaving their garage doors partially open so the pressure of the water washing into their driveways doesn’t break them open.

The Pacifica Planning Commission has approved a nine-unit condominium building with underground parking on Beach Blvd. The developer is adding to the existing sea wall and installing pumps in the garage.

There are some contradictory quotes from Pacifica’s director of public works. He says of a dozen homes on unstable dunes the city has had to buy: "That whole area should be a sand dune. The decision to develop it was made in 1906." But of developments 2007, he says,  "I don’t think you should restrict building. You just have to provide means to address these things. You can raise your foundation up or put your driveway on a side street. You design around it."