Two crucial meetings on Midcoast development are coming up

Two upcoming meetings, one Wednesday and one on December 6, will determine development on the unincorporated Midcoast for the foreseeable future.

The County has released the preliminary staff report on the proposed Midcoast Local Coastal Program (LCP) update.  This is a crucial process in determining the future of development on the unincorporated Midcoast (Montara, Moss Beach, and El Granada). The LCP is used by county and the Coastal Commission in evaluating development decisions.

The original proposed update was written by the Midcoast Community Council (MCC), which was elected by the residents of the Midcoast.

The County Board of Supervisors has been reviewing the proposal and created a subcommittee to write a set of guiding principles to be used in evaluating it. The subcommittee has met five times and made some recommendations to the full Board, and the Board has taken tentative action on some recommendations and asked for additional staff research on others.

The original proposal, background, staff responses and recommendations are all reviewed in a staff report released November 9. You can download the 50-page report from Coastsider [PDF].

The MCC will discuss the report on Wednesday, November 16 at 7:30 PM at the 3-0 Café at the HMB Airport.

The Board of Supervisors will meet on the Coastside at a location to be chosen on Tuesday, December 6 from 2pm to 5pm.

Local Coastal Programs (LCPs)  are the basic planning tools used by the Coastal Commission and coastal communities.  According to the Coastal Commission:

LCPs identify the location, type,  densities and other ground-rules for future development in the coastal zone portions of the 73 cities and counties along the coast. Each LCP includes a land-use plan and its implementing measures (e.g., zoning ordinances). Prepared by local government, these programs govern decisions that determine the short- and long-term conservation and use of coastal resources.

After an LCP has been finally approved, the Commission’s coastal permitting authority over most new development is transferred to the local government. The Commission retains permanent coastal permit jurisdiction over development proposed on the immediate shoreline (tidelands, submerged lands, and public trust lands).

Please review the report and attend the meeting on Wednesday.  Let’s discuss the LCP revision here, and let’s work to get a big turnout for the Board of Supervisors Coastside meeting on December 6.