Save Strands Beach
From the Surfrider South Orange County Chapter:
THE CITY OF DANA POINT HAS APPROVED a flawed plan to develop on sensitive habitat and build a 2100 ft. long seawall to protect new development.
September 22, 2004: On Wednesday evening, the Dana Point City Council unconditionally accepted the California Coastal Commission's 198 suggested modifications to approve the Dana Headlands Local Coastal Plan Amendment. The plan permits the development of 75 homes in a gated community nestled behind a new 17 ft. high, 2,100 ft. long revetment. Fifty more homes, a 65-90 room hotel, and 35,000 sq. ft. shopping mall and visitor center will be placed on top of the headlands, encroaching upon and destroying sensitive habitat that is home to a number of endangered species.
The Coastal Commission need only certify this final action by the City to ratify the Plan which is expected to happen before the end of October 2004. Once that step is complete, the City of Dana Point becomes the permitting agency under the Local Coastal Plan. Construction permit applications for grading and revetment building will shortly follow. In fact, it is very possible that D-9 bulldozers could roll onto the beach and begin building a coffer dam to protect grading operations as soon as January 2005.
Surfrider Foundation activists have conducted a "No Revetment on Strand Beach" campaign through every administrative step in an effort to avoid a lawsuit. Even at the end of the two-year review period at the Coastal Commission, Commission staff recommended project denial, in part because the revetment construction and bluff grading contemplated was clearly "new development" and in conflict with pertinent sections of the Coastal Act. Nonetheless, a narrow majority of politically persuaded Commissioners voted against their own Staff recommendation and approved the project which includes the destruction of sensitive habitat and the construction of a 2,100 ft. revetment.
The ball is in Surfrider's court. We can tuck tail, let the clock run out, and wait defeated for another game. Or, we can play this one out into overtime. The South Orange County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has made an executive decision to pursue this precedent-setting, crooked, and beach destroying revetment proposition into the legal arena. Our Chapter has retained Coast Law Group, LLP., led by longtime Surfrider members Marco Gonzalez and Todd Cardiff, as legal counsel. Together we will continue this challenge, but we need your support.
The strength of Surfrider is that we fight our local battles individually yet can come together as a group when needed. Over the years, many chapters have asked for help, financial or otherwise, and received that help from chapters throughout the Surfrider Foundation network. Think back to creating videos, litigation, Bali toilets( ok, well we'll leave that one alone for the time being!) startup efforts in Costa Rica, Maui and others. The San Clemente/South Orange County Chapter now needs your help!
This legal undertaking is going to require administrative, monetary, and moral support for those entrenched in the day to day operations. You can help in a number of ways, but the simplest way is to help our Save Strands Fund to grow. The South Orange County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation will earmark, and place into a separate account, funds designated to continue this battle into the courtroom. To date, we have received a number of donations including $6,000 from one concerned local family, which is a great start. However, we still have a long way to go. Please support our efforts to SAVE THE STRANDS and donate today.
Please feel free to contact us at sanclemente@surfrider.org for more information or with offers to help.
You may send monetary support to:
Surfrider - South Orange County Chapter
"Save Strands"
PO Box 865, San Clemente, CA 92672
Thank you for your continued interest in this very important Surfrider action.
Michael Lewis, RG
South Orange County Surfrider Chapter - Volunteer
For more information contact:
Mark Cousineau
Surfrider Foundation, San Clemente Chapter
markcousineau@cox.net
(949)361-3902
Chad Nelsen
Surfrider Foundation, National Office
cnelsen@surfrider.org
(949)492-8170
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