Council to Review Sand Wall Analysis

Residents will get another month and a half to debate the controversial sand wall along Surfside Drive.

City staff members have completed their analysis of the wall and will present it to the City Council on Wednesday.

That will kick off a public comment period that will last until early next year, Mayor Murray Rosenbluth said.

Dozens of residents along Surfside Drive have complained that the 3-foot-high wall blocks their view of the surf and could become a magnet for graffiti and crime.

The city built the wall, part of a long-planned beach improvement project, to keep sand from blowing onto roadways and into swimming pools.

The city’s report estimates the cost of leaving the wall intact at $4,000 to $6,000 a year.

According to the report, lowering the wall by a foot would increase sand damage to roadways, and would cost between $57,000 and $176,000.

Removing the wall altogether could cost between $78,800 and $129,200.

The council will probably give residents time through the holidays to digest the report and make additional comments on it, Rosenbluth said.

The City Council is scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, 250 N. Ventura Road.