Collapsed curbs along Surfers' Point, Nov 4, 2021 |
Although communication has been difficult during the Covid-19 pandemic, progress has been made on the Surfers' Point Managed Shoreline Retreat Project. The Surfers' Point Working Group has not met since the 2019 lockdown, but a meeting has been scheduled in early January to update the stakeholders.
Under a Prop 68 grant from the California Ocean Protection Council and sponsored by BEACON, the City of Ventura has been completing the Final Design for the second phase of the project. At their April, 2021 meeting, the California Coastal Commission approved (with conditions) modifications to the Surfers Point Managed Shoreline Retreat project in Ventura, CA. Phase 2 will relocate the damaged oceanfront bike path and remaining parking lot back to Shoreline Drive and reconfigure day use parking to maintain beach access at the popular Surfers' Point in Ventura.
In 2011, the California Coastal Conservancy funded $1.5M of the $3M "Phase 1" project, with cost matching through Federal TEA transportation funding. Looking to the future, the prospect for securing grant funding for the construction of Phase 2 seems promising. According to the Coastal Conservancy's website;
On September 23, 2021, Governor Newsom signed a budget bill that includes a total of $500 million for coastal resilience to be appropriated to the State Coastal Conservancy in Fiscal Years 2022-23 and 2023-24. This coastal resilience funding is part of the larger climate resilience budget package that demonstrates the State of California’s commitment to preparing for climate change impacts, including wildfire, extreme heat, drought, and sea level rise.
This funding provides an unprecedented opportunity to move the needle on coastal resilience. The State Coastal Conservancy recognizes the urgency and importance of preparing the coast, and the people and wildlife that depend on the coast, for sea level rise and other climate change impacts. We look forward to working with many partner organizations to make a difference for the health of the coast.
And although it is not yet clear how it will be allocated, the new Federal infrastructure package allocates billions of dollars for projects to strengthen the country's resilience to climate change. As with Phase 1 construction, this may be a potential source of matching funds for Surfers' Point.
The California Ocean Protection Council created a series of videos featuring the projects they sponsored throughout the state. Surfers' Point is featured in the video below: