Santa Monica : Coastal Plan Rejected

After nearly two years of working on an update to the city’s state-required local coastal plan, city staff members were ordered by the council to address concerns over development and parking.

Several residents were miffed over the staff’s proposed plan--essentially a zoning document subject to the approval of the State Coastal Commission under the 1976 Coastal Act--saying it allows more development and restricts residential parking in favor of beach visitors.

City staff responded by stating that the plan was drafted in accordance with Coastal Commission concerns. The commission, for example, asked that the city overturn its policy allowing those with residential parking permits to park in beach lots without charge between 9 a.m. and dusk. The policy was designed to allow beach-area residents to park in an area where street parking is severely limited, staff members said. But the commission says it is unfair to charge some residents and not others for parking.

The Coastal Act was enacted to protect California’s coast--its views and environment--by establishing guidelines that coastal cities must adhere to. But many council members were concerned that the commission’s ideas for Santa Monica’s coastal plan are too lax, causing the staff to draft a document council members said is easy on development and that ignores the city’s philosophy that low-cost housing should be preserved.

“I can’t believe this,” said Councilman Dennis Zane. “This should have been written by the Coastal Commission.”