But Moroney said that plan does not meet the commissions requirements. Weve struck a chord, people love this place and dont want to see it fall into the ocean.. For example, in 1998 the city dumped riprap into a dozen pocket beach coves along West Cliff Drive, blocking public access into those beaches, Moroney said. Caltrans equipment has been requested, Starkey said. For instance, a March U.S. Geological Survey study shows that up to two-thirds of beaches in Southern California may disappear by the year 2100. Meanwhile, the west arm of Halls Cove was called Wave Motor Point. That stretch is home to an iconic lighthouse, prime surf spots, and is frequented year-round by locals and non-residentsalike. Gallogly described West Cliff as the communitys front yard., Gallogly said, Its not just a few who live right there, but (its) for all of us to enjoy. An early water spout eventually wore away, but another one formed on the cliff closer to Woodrow. The cave was eventually reduced to just one wall, in which a small natural bridge was formed. The new lighthouse became the worlds first Surfing Museum in 1986, while the site of the lost natural bridge is now named Laura Hecox Cove. 1 inch equals 150 feet 1231 606 287 163 128 106 53 50 38 Erosion Volume (Cubic Meters) 1016 West Cliff Drive Covered by FHWA 1030 West Cliff Drive Covered by FHWA Site 003 Fill Volume Approx. City leaders estimated more than $5 million in damage to West Cliff Drive during this months storms. To have access for pedestrians, cyclists, dogs, and of course, cars, one-way is the obvious solution, he said. Early solutions were stacked dry concrete sacks that were wetted. The main house faces Philbrick Cove, named for a house built at the corner of Fair Street by motorboat king Fred A. Philbrick. Rather than plan for, say, a seawall to be built in 2050, Wise-West said, the West Cliff plan uses physical triggers to gauge how much of the cliffs have eroded, then make changes. erosion, removal of surface material from Earth's crust, primarily soil and rock debris, and the transportation of the eroded materials by natural agencies (such as water or wind) from the point of removal. Find updates on West Cliff Drive damage and repair on the citys website, Plans emerge to revive Downtown Santa Cruz, reshape West Cliff Drive April 27, 2021, Santa Cruz aims for new approaches to West Cliff Drive erosion Dec. 3, 2020. Dredge Project Decision, Jan De Nul Dredge Project in Moroccos Nador Port, New timeline takes shape for river dredging, Environmental Report Raises Concerns Over Proposed Manitoba Silica Sand Mining Project, Zambales governor calls off river dredging project after villagers protest, Township of Millburn, NJ Dredge Project Bid Notice, Marinex Construction awarded $26 million contract for Savannah inner harbor maintenance dredging. Ryan Stuart came to the Sentinel in October 2020. The motion, brought by Councilmember Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson in response to requests by Save West Cliff leader Al Ramadan, provides city staff with three key directions as work continues to repair the scenic road after a damaging series of winter storms. Cowells warehouse was shortened in 1940, and West Cliff Drive extended to the Depot. Updated: Nov 29, 2022 / 01:46 PM PST. Options for Sea Level Rise Adaptation on West Cliff Drive. C. Pendleton, who had a flower nursery on West Cliff Drive. He covers Santa Cruz County government. City expects to open the road from Columbia to Pelton in the afternoon Friday after high tide. If the towns front yard is the boardwalk and beachfront, then West Cliff Drive is its front porch. We specialize in investigative reporting on our communitys pressing needs. Today the West Cliff Bike Path is a vital corridor for biking, hiking, strolling and sightseeing, without a single cross-road for three miles. Surrounding streets saw about 300 cars per day while [Oxford] saw about 2,500.. The only house on the cliffside of the road was built in 1937 for cellist Bessie Boyd Miller, and called Tide Cliff Studio. Because erosion on West Cliff Drive is nothing new, the Santa Cruz City Council approved a, West Cliff Drive Adaptation and Management Plan in April 2021. . For now, its economy is mainly focused on agriculture and fishery. Her Cottswold-style cottage sat to the east, with a music studio to the west containing a grand piano. Almus Rountree had tried to tame the points winds by planting a forest of trees, and sold the lighthouse property to the government, with the lighthouse opened in 1869. Technologies & Dredgewire. Cowells warehouse was shortened in 1940, and West Cliff Drive extended to the Depot. The largest of these was the Forest of Phelan Park, as Lighthouse Field was once called. Wise-West assured Golder and her constituents that was not the case. But its just part of the problem.. Walkers and cyclists can still access the area. Our journalism responds to your questions and priorities. Copyright 2023 Industrial Digital Media, LLC The West Cliff Drive draft plan has several parts: The second plan is the Local Coastal Program update. He said of the vision for West Cliff Drive: Figure out whats the long-term plan here. Our journalism responds to your questions and priorities. Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. SANTA CRUZ The Santa Cruz City Council on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution that would address along the cliffside that West Cliff Drive runs over. Santa Cruz Local is owned and led by local journalists. (Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz) By Wallace Baine. The eras Car Culture regarded bikes as toys for those without a drivers license. Yet the origins of West Cliff Drive were anything but promising. That stretch is home to an iconic lighthouse, prime surf spots, and is frequented year-round by locals and non-residents alike. The plan includes stormwater fixes, trail and overlook improvements and minor transportation changes. A Santa Cruz lighthouse was recommended as early as 1852, but no one got around to building it until after the Civil War. Did Measure M talk shrink Santa Cruz's rental market? 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Fines are possible but the commission hopes to resolve the violations amicably with the city, said Noaki Schwartz, Coastal Commission spokeswoman. West of Bethany Creek was the Cliff Museum and Curio Store, run by John and Jennie Moore, selling picnic supplies, souvenirs and pressed seaweed. have the greatest probability of yielding positive net benefitsin common languagethe most bang for thebuck. Both plans are part of the citys Resilient Coast project. The warehouse was finally demolished in 1959. Laura Hecox became lighthouse keeper in 1883. Within only a decade the lighthouse had to be moved, as three sea caves under it threatened to collapse. In some instances, the city never even sought a permit for repairs. Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. The drive has been assembled over the years into what it is today: a linear park, tied together in 1976 with its iconic bike path. In part because of unpermitted seawalls, the Coastal Commission has asked city of Santa Cruz leaders for a West Cliff plan since the 1980s. An early water spout eventually wore away, but another one formed on the cliff closer to Woodrow. And barriers must include weep-holes to prevent moisture build-up. Armed with Galaxy tablet and survey questions, Anthony Castelletto, Research Associate at the Center for the Blue Economy, and graduate students from both the Middlebury Institute and U.C. She said she looked forward to talking to group members and other residents. We were hearing concerns about traffic speed on Pelton [Avenue], while we heard a lot more about the volume on Oxford, she told Lookout. The wall-like expanse of three arches faced the elements for over a century, yet is slowly becoming shoreline crags and fallen arches. Water-filled barriers in that area will be in place for an unknown time, Starkey said. For now, the focus is on improved biking capacities and erosion mitigation efforts. For example, travel inland and you are surrounded by rolling hills, fields of olive trees, fig trees and vineyards. On Thursday, Susan Craig, the commissions Central Coast district manager, issued a letter to Mark Dettle, Santa Cruzs Public Works Director, saying that if she doesnt hear back within a month about next steps for a plan, shell notify the commissions enforcement unit. Thats the kind of reaction everybody has they dont realize its that bad., Saving West Cliff: If we decide not to do anything, then you will have nothing. CA - West Cliff Drive's scenic erosion The famous Natural Bridges at the state beach show the slow rate of decline for this mudstone monument. Short-Term Retreat Statistics of a Slowly Eroding Coastal Cliff. Rather it is something that the city would have to work toward through years of public outreach and input, according to Gallogly. For example, in 2003, the city received an emergency permit to place riprap on the bluffs at the end of Columbia Street and Woodrow Avenue. SANTA CRUZ >> A plan aimed to address coastal erosion along West Cliff Drive was unanimously approved by the Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday, which for the first time creates a long-term vision for protection and repairs of the roadside cliffs. On West Cliff just west of Woodrow Avenue, drivers are blocked because of storm damage and a culvert problem, said Matt Starkey, transportation manager for Santa Cruz Public Works, at the Jan. 23 meeting. Lighthouse Avenue was the road to the lighthouse, since each cliffside block was a private estate, owning to the edge of the cliff. Those same complaints had previously prompted city staff to discuss turning Oxford Way one of the main streets experiencing significant traffic increases into a cul-de-sac. (Dan Coyro Santa Cruz Sentinel), Repairs along West Cliff Drive in 2016 using riprap to armor the cliff against storm-caused erosion were done without permits. In the near term, city staff will continue community outreach for input on the draft roadmap, a planning document designed to help guide the citys decision-making for rehabilitating West Cliff Drive over the next three years. A large chunk of sidewalk broke off a cliff in a popular walking area in Santa Cruz on Friday, causing a hazard . Typical sea-level rise projections are 5.2 feet by the year 2100 and up to 10 feet in some projections, Wise-West said. The first project would create a class three bikeway along West Cliff Drive. This put the new building at the site of the first lighthouse. Erosion along West Cliff Drive has been an ongoing issue . Our journalism responds to your questions and priorities. Surfside Beach was named by the subdivision it served, extending from Bethany Creek to Sunset Avenue. A class three bikeway is a shared roadway between cars and bikes, according to city Transportation Planner Claire Gallogly. West Cliff Drive, a popular California coastal walkway, is eroding into the ocean Gabe Lehman , SFGATE Nov. 29, 2022 Updated: Nov. 29, 2022 9:37 a.m. Email A large chunk of West Cliff. | by When their daughter Stanley married Fred Swanton, he tried subdividing the ranch into Swanton Beach Park in 1908 and then later use it as an airport in 1925. Those include no cars, one-way traffic, two-way traffic with no parking, one-way with parking, and keeping it as is. Conversion to one-way on West Cliff would be a multiyear community engagement process prior to moving in that direction, she said. When sports paused, he made the transition to hard news. In the 1950s, a sewer-outfall tower was built near the cliff, later turned into a staircase to the beach. It was adopted by womens clubs at the turn of the century to expand the floral aesthetic. brought a program to the Coastal Commission. Santa Cruz Local is a local news organization that serves Santa Cruz County, Calif. Our newsroom exists because we love Santa Cruz County. Santa Cruz Local is owned and led by local journalists. When their daughter Stanley married Fred Swanton, he tried subdividing the ranch into Swanton Beach Park in 1908 and then later use it as an airport in 1925. One problem pointed out in the research is the lack of a permanent water-level recorder to gauge and predict tides and sea level in Santa Cruz. Mitchells Cove was originally known as Vue de lEau Cove, and included a baseball park, which in 1905 became a zoo and circus headquarters. Without a long-term vision, the city has armored nearly the entire stretch of the iconic strip, and waited for emergencies for sinkholes to form, walls to crumble or piles of rock to fall to perform repairs. It shows itself in reefs along the shoreline. SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KRON) Big ocean waves battering West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz took a toll on the westside's beloved recreational trail. If you think traffic in the neighborhood is bad now, wait until theres no access.. Most of the past walls have been grant-funded. Now those repairs are unpermitted, said Moroney. The one-way section has been in place since January and has sparked concerns among local residents about increased traffic on side streets. The Santa Cruz City Council unanimously passed a motion Tuesday outlining the next steps for the future of West Cliff Drive through the end of this year, including a community review and a 50-year plan for the iconic roadway. The first construction on West Cliff was the 1849 Anthony Wharf, designed as a potato chute jutting out from the end of Bay Street. Santa Cruz Local is supported by members, major donors, sponsors and grants for the general support of our newsroom. Max Chun is a locally grown reporter with an eye for community activism, human interest stories, and anything Santa Cruz. (Dan Coyro Santa Cruz Sentinel). Of the approximately 10 members of the public who spoke, many said they were eager to continue working through the traffic-mitigation issues. Agencies aim to increase controlled burns in Santa Cruz County, Coastal Commission approves Santa Cruz overnight RV parking ban, Coral Street homeless services plans advance in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz Local is supported by members, major donors, sponsors and grants for the general support of our newsroom. It also calls for measures to deal with sea-level rise that include: The 2021 plan includes a potential next step of reducing traffic from two-way to one-way. The velocity of winds coming down the coast has led to the planting of numerous windbreaks along West Cliff. Waves and runoff from storms in early January helped carve a chunk out of the West Cliff Drive bike path near Columbia Street. Maps show potential managed retreat at places such as the 20-minute overlook parking lot at Natural Bridges State Beach. The wall-like expanse of three arches faced the elements for over a century, yet is slowly becoming shoreline crags and fallen arches. This provided drought-tolerant flowers and greenscape, fire suppression of volatile grasses, cliff-soil conservation, and erosion control. To address some traffic concerns, the city is planning to convert Oxford Way into a cul-de-sac at the Bethany Curve intersection by the end of the month. That update will also include city staffs plan to begin several projects over the next three years, including the cave study on the west side of Lighthouse Point that could lead to a look at whether to relocate the lighthouse, intersection improvements at Bay Street and West Cliff Drive, implementing a coastal monitoring program to track the changes in the coastline, and sea wall and cave stabilization. Auburn Avenue ends in Halls Cove, a small beach where Halls Creek empties, sometimes in a waterfall. The saltwater was used to sprinkle the dirt roads, in order to kill the grasses and wet down the dust. By the end of this century, $1 billion worth of property, roads and utilities along a 3-mile stretch of West Cliff Drive will be vulnerable to flooding and erosion, according to Wise-West, the . This provided drought-tolerant flowers and greenscape, fire suppression of volatile grasses, cliff-soil conservation, and erosion control. We use cookies and other technologies to better understand a visitor's experience and to help improve our websites. In the 1960s, a hole formed in the ceiling, leaving an oculus skylight, with the mouth of the cave forming Surfside natural bridge. We can do so with proper restoration and eliminate for that fluffing when the ice plant becomes saturated, she said. We believe that high-quality local news is crucial to democracy. Max Chun is a locally grown reporter with an eye for community activism, human interest stories, and anything Santa Cruz. Pedestrians and bicyclists are moving out into traffic lanes to navigate their way along the heavily-used route. A hole was cut in the cliff where incoming tides forced seawater into a tank on a 60-foot tower. Since the storms in early January, some large boulders have been delivered by crane to try to stave off more cliff erosion in the short term. The city is also studying the future of a one-way pilot project that currently spans the westbound stretch of West Cliff Drive between Columbia Drive and Woodrow Avenue. The cave was eventually reduced to just one wall, in which a small natural bridge was formed. The Lighthouse Natural Bridge collapsed in 1888, leaving a sea stack in the cove. The crag is almost completely gone, leaving little trace of what was once the beachs chief landmark. Attendees could approach any of them with questions, comments and concerns. But the unsettled condition of land deeds, and the transient nature of the free-flowing Gold Rush population, left the waterfront a low-key shipping destination. Lighthouse Avenue was the road to the lighthouse, since each cliffside block was a private estate, owning to the edge of the cliff. Ramadan said that delaying the immediate repairs could lead to further, irreparable loss of access to the road. Yet the origins of West Cliff Drive were anything but promising. City transportation planner Claire Gallogly fields questions from attendees Thursday at London Nelson Community Center. Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support. Theres no real surprises to the areas where the impact will be. Waves coming down the coast, tend to break directly against certain cliffs in Mitchell Cove. There has not been consensus on which plan to pursue and State Parks leaders have not yet expressed a preference. The collapse of a section of sidewalk along West Cliff Drive last week shows that eroding cliffs pose a danger to roads and walkways along the coastline. Now, said Gallogly, the city is moving forward with that plan. What do we want the coastline to look like so it is equitable for everyone?. Dettle, the Santa Cruz public works director, was reached for comment, but did not reply. Early solutions were stacked dry concrete sacks that were wetted. In the 1960s, West Cliff Drive had a narrow gravel shoulder impossible to bicycle upon. The Cliff House in 2012 from the same vantage point as the postcard. Santa Cruz Locals news is free. The City of Santa Cruz recently received a $340,000 grant that will help to evaluate the threat of sea level rise along West Cliff Drive. The sidewalks met their ends on West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz last week. https://santacruzlocal.org/author/admin-10/, Copyright 2022 | Santa Cruz Local | All Rights Reserved, A Guide to the California Coastal Commission, Santa Cruz Locals Election Guide: Nov. 8, 2022. He moved to Santa Cruz where he reports on schools, businesses, city government and north county activity. City staff said they planned to measure drivers speeds and the number of cars in the area. The drive has been assembled over the years into what it is today: a linear park, tied together in 1976 with its iconic bike path. Copyright 2023, Lookout Santa Cruz All Rights Reserved. Can we count on your help? Large boulders, called rip-rap, have toppled on many beaches, and the plan calls to restack them in many places. The sand could come from the San Lorenzo River or the dredge at the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, Wise-West said, and currents would take the sand to beaches such as Mitchells Cove, Its and Cowells. As Ramadan wrapped up his presentation, many of the attending residents echoed familiar, uncertain questions, beyond the immediate ones of traffic: What do we do and what is the most feasible solution? That is not on our current work plan and dont have anything to add, wrote Schneiter. At the end of Stockton Avenue is Point Pleiades, whose west face has cliff pigeon cubby holes. Just dumping riprap is one solution, but it needs to be evaluated with the range of solutions.Janice Bisgaard, the city public works departments public information officer said the city will include a review of West Cliff Drives seawalls in its next Climate Adaptation Plan update.
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