Politics & Government

Update: Beach Parking Fees Get Nod From Coastal Commission Staff, But City Wants Delay

The California Coastal Commission is set to vote on the city's application to set parking fees at both Linda Mar Beach parking lots next week, but the city has asked for a delay so it can consider extra conditions tacked onto its proposal.

Update, 4:02p.m.

Pacifica City Councilman Len Stone said the city has requested that the CCC's vote on its application to implement parking fees at Linda Mar Beach be postponed until February, although the CCC has not yet amended next week's agenda to reflect that request. 

"(City) staff is going to come back to the council in January with the (additional) conditions [CCC staff tacked onto the city's proposal] and ask how the council wants to proceed," he said. 

Find out what's happening in Pacificawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For more on those conditions, read the article below. 

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Find out what's happening in Pacificawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The California Coastal Commission will vote on Pacifica's request to establish parking fees at both  parking lots in February. 

The California Coastal Commission (CCC), which regulates development and sets land use policy along the entire California coast, staff has recommended that the commission approve the application, which was filed in June, with some slight alterations. 

Revenue raised through the parking fees will go toward maintaining the beach and adjacent facilities, such as the bathrooms, parking lots and showers. The money will also go toward the salaries of two beach rangers, police officers' pay as they patrol the beach and toward the city's , which is meant to educate the public and prevent damage to the bird's fragile resting grounds. 

According to correspondence between the CCC and former Pacifica City Attorney Cecilia Quick, parking for all users of the beach, Pacifica resident or otherwise, would cost $3 for less than 4 hours and $6 for more. An annual parking pass, which would cost $50, would also be available. Beach goers would pay the fees at three meters that the city would install if the CCC approves the application.

Parking at Linda Mar Beach, which former Captain Dave Bertini told City Manager Stephen Rhodes was the most used beach in San Mateo County, has always been free, athough efforts to establish parking fees there date back to the early '90s. The CCC has approved applications like Pacifica's in the past; take Santa Cruz as an example. 

In the CCC staff report about the application, it's stated that potential fees at Linda Mar are relatively low compared to other State Park beaches, however. 

CCC staff indicated in their recommendation to the commission that special care be taken in the case that the parking fees increase foot traffic to the beach, which poses a threat to the vegetated dunes and San Pedro Creek. 

In addition to or modifying the conditions set in the city's proposal, CCC staff recommends that:

 1) A requirement for a monitoring program to document any impacts to public access, or the unauthorized establishment of additional public trails down to the beach particularly at the north end;

2) Approval of the implementation of parking fees on a trial three-year basis;

3) After three years, if the permittee wishes to continue the fee program, a new coastal development permit or permit amendment will be required and the results of the monitoring will be used to confirm that the development authorized under this permit has not resulted in impacts to coastal resources, including public access, that cannot be appropriately mitigated.

The CCC has put the city's application on the agenda for its upcoming meeting at the Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39 in San Francisco on Dec. 7 at 9a.m., but the city has requested that it delay a vote until February so it has time to review the additional conditions CCC staff recommended. 

The CCC has not yet ammended its agenda to reflect the city's request for a postponement. 

For more news about Pacifica and surrounding areas, including the San Mateo County Coastside, follow us on Twitter and "like" us on Facebook.


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