At the same time, reject the promotion of destructive NIMBY "managed retreat".
Dear neighbors,
This is the DRAFT - Asset Vulnerability Profile which is being promoted and circulated by John Keener and Bob Batallio to as many County, State and Federal coastal agencies as possible. Read it VERY CAREFULLY, especially the section on the last page titled “Asset-Specific Adaptation”.
In
this section they conclude that shoreline retreat, locally referred to
as “managed retreat”, may be a more viable option than repairs or
replacement of the Beach Blvd. wall. They propose relocating the entire
West Sharp Park neighborhood of 7,200 inhabitants, numerous small
businesses, affordable housing and extensive infrastructure to some
other place on higher ground. This would necessitate the razing of the
entire community.
They
also claim that this will yield an added “gray” ecological benefit. I
believe this is a reference to a benefit of more habitat and wetland for
endangered species and natural beach erosion and nourishment. This is a
repetition of the same argument which continues to be used to shut down
the West Sharp Park Golf Course.
Highlighted in the section titled Additional Important Information
is a reference to “community resistance to raising the height of the
seawall”. To my knowledge this is actually an accounting of one
residents’ response when Bob Battallio told him that the wall would have
to be raised 30 feet to effectively protect the area. Any reasonable
person would react the same way if they were presented with
unsubstantiated and provocative information like this.
Most importantly, in the very last section titled Vulnerable Seawalls,
they off-handedly call the sea wall a “floodwall for all intents and
purposes”. This confirms our contention that this is NOT, nor was it
EVER, a seawall designed to withstand the punishment of waves. This is
the real reason the City of Pacifica has been forced to pour
millions of precious tax dollars into constant emergency repairs over
the last 30 years. This is why it first failed when it was a brand new
wall only 2 months after it’s completion. It is also why this drain on
our budget and risk to public safety and the environment will never
cease. In fact the situation will only worsen as the “floodwall” ages.
West
Sharp Park is an established, well connected and safe neighborhood. It
has been steadily invested in for at least 75 years. Within this
neighborhood there are several complex development projects currently in
motion, which are important to the economic viability of Pacifica at
large. It is home to a large amount of recreational opportunities,
affordable housing, historical structures, small businesses and
incomparable public access to the coastline along the promenade and
pier. In particular, the promenade uniquely accommodates the elderly,
young families and mobility impaired people. To suggest that rather than
building a real seawall in conjunction with other Sea Level Rise
mitigation strategies, we should just abandon this area and run for the
hills before we actually understand the degree and timing of Sea Level
Rise events, is an offense to our intelligence and innovative capacity.
We
need to continue to study the phenomena of climate and sea level change
so we can make educated and smart decisions about our future. In the
meantime we need to complete the repairs of the Beach Blvd “floodwall”.
We need to immediately beef-up the rock-revetment all along the front of
the wall in order to deflect the power of the waves and hopefully
prevent further damage in the short term. We need to convince our
leaders to get on the same page and prioritize the building of a real
seawall along the promenade. This is critical for safety, continued
public access and to stop the financial hemorrhaging of our already
stressed city budget.
We
look to our leaders to be open, honest and factually correct with the
citizens of Pacifica. It would be highly unethical to thwart critical
thinking and use the spectre of potential Sea Level Rise to scare people
into compliance with the ever present NO-GROWTH agenda.
Mike Bell
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Related. Sea Change San Mateo County. Note photographs. Flagpole from California Beaches/Sharp Park Beach. Golf Course and beyond from Northern California Golf Association (NCGA),"Sharp Park update,"12/7/12. Ocean waves CBS SF Bay Area, 2/8/12.
Posted by Kathy Meeh
4 comments:
Mike, the water is coming with or without your misguided concerns about local officials. State law does't allow for any hieght to be added to seawalls so you should go after the state law that effects you. Your continued anger with any local official is misplaced and ultimately self defeating. I'm sorry your house is on Beach Blvd but it is and as we've seen this last winter the water is absolutly coming.
Maybe poor misguided Bray doesn't realize that if managed retreat in instituted his own quaint abode is in danger.
Todd,
You kinda missed the point.
Perhaps you didn't click on the embedded link and read the draft document thoroughly.
Pacifica should be renamed to Disfunction Junction!!!!
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