Commentary of ’89 : Judy B. Rosener on the Coastal Act

During 1989, many Orange County residents wrote about their thoughts and feelings in commentary pieces for Orange County opinion pages. As the year comes to a close, we look back on some of those thoughts.

It is no accident that those who use Coast Highway have a glorious view of the Pacific Ocean for a three-mile stretch along the Irvine Coast.

It is no accident that the public now has access to the beaches that hug the bluffs that line the water’s edge.

It is no accident that when development takes place on the inland side of the Irvine down-coast property, wildlife habitats will be protected, the watershed will remain, the effects of traffic and air pollution will be minimized, and both the public and the landowner will benefit.

The legacy of the Coastal Act is not easy to assess. It is as much measured in the development you don’t see as in the quality of development you do see. It is as much measured in the views and public access you enjoy as in the citizen participation that made the views and access possible.

It is as much measured in changed attitudes about protecting the environment as in seeing how public-private partnerships have been forged to protect coastal resources.

As we anticipate the reaction that will come when the hotels, roads and houses begin to sprout along the Irvine coast, we should remind ourselves of what might have been!