San Diego’s plan to help beach neighborhoods survive and thrive as seas rise – San Diego Union-Tribune

Six projects proposed for San Diego’s coastal areas are part of a comprehensive campaign to prepare every city neighborhood for the worst effects of climate change: wildfires, flooding, extreme heat and sea level rise.

The projects, from new dunes proposed for Ocean Beach to an earthen seawall proposed for La Jolla Shores, are part of a coastal resilience master plan that city officials say they will present to the City Council early of next year.

Local residents can use an online survey to comment on the projects, which are also proposed for Sunset Cliffs, Tourmaline Beach and Mission Beach.

The Coastal Resilience Plan, which aims to combat sea level rise, is part of a broader strategic effort called Climate Resilient SD, 86 strategies the city adopted in 2021 to prepare neighborhoods — especially low-income areas – to climate change.

City officials say they have made significant progress on climate-resilient sustainability, including preserving 183 acres of critical habitat, planting 1,200 trees to cool neighborhoods and a new policy making climate concerns a factor in the ranking of proposed infrastructure projects.

But floods on January 22, which displaced more than 1,000 people in the city’s southeast, prompted city officials to decide that the climate-resilient SD must be updated next year – earlier than expected.

Follow-up investigations into the causes of the flooding and other information gathered since will give city officials a better understanding of the neighborhood’s vulnerability and what new efforts are needed, said Randy Wilde, Mayor Todd Gloria’s senior policy adviser on climate issues.

Climate Resilient SD differs from the city’s climate action plan by focusing on adaptation to climate change, while the action plan focuses on mitigating climate change itself with efforts such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Every city in California was expected to adopt such a plan by the end of 2021.

San Diego officials say they have initiated nearly two-thirds of the projects included in the 536-page plan.

The city spends about $10 million on climate resilience projects in its annual budget each year. These typically involve efforts to improve neighborhood parks or plant trees, which reduce heat in mostly paved neighborhoods.

Councilmember Joe LaCava said it’s crucial that climate resilience efforts focus on the city’s older neighborhoods because they have older infrastructure typically built to less rigorous engineering standards.

“Ensuring we protect San Diegans where they live, where they play and where they work is a key part of the city’s responsibility,” LaCava said during an environment committee update on climate resilience last week.

The coastal resilience component of Climate Resilient SD is a bit ahead of other efforts, in part because the city received a $1 million state grant to create a coastal resilience plan.

City officials recently revealed six projects they would like to see included in that plan, which must be approved by the state Coastal Commission.

In Ocean Beach, the city would create a path for cyclists and pedestrians at Dog Beach, which would be bordered by raised sand dunes that could protect the immediate area and the rest of the neighborhood from flooding. The dunes would be connected to an additional vegetated sand dune near the Ocean Beach municipal pier.

In Sunset Cliffs, the city would narrow Sunset Cliffs Boulevard to one vehicle lane and make the other lane a path for pedestrians and cyclists. The project, which would take place in phases, would also include improving drainage and replacing invasive species with native plants.

In Mission Beach, the city would build a raised sand dune west of the existing seawall at Ocean Front Walk.

At Tourmaline Surf Park in Pacific Beach, existing riprap would be buried to provide a core layer and covered with a mix of pebbles, sand and native plants.

In La Jolla Shores, the city offers two different flood protection efforts.

Along the western boundaries of La Jolla Shores Park and Kellogg Park, a linear raised earth seawall would be constructed between the grassy area and the La Vereda Pedestrian Pathway.

Along the western boundary of the car park, a terraced sea wall would be constructed to provide a viewing and seating area.