Board Unanimously Votes to Adopt the Local Coastal Plan Update
Editors Note: People and organizations from all walks of life inundated the supervisors with emails and letters to protect the coast. Your actions saved our beloved coast for future generations!
After the participation of hundreds of stakeholders, coastal advocates, and subject matter experts, the Board of Supervisors on July 17th, 2023, voted unanimously to adopt the first comprehensive update to the Local Coastal Plan in two decades.
The July 17th, 2023 Vote did the following:
- Placed increased restrictions on industrial development including requiring a vote of the people of Sonoma County for large-scale industrial energy production facilities crossing the San Andreas fault.
- Responded to how sea level rise has changed coastal conditions and increased risks related to climate change.
- Added new fire prevention programs for vegetation management, defensible space, and grazing.
- Updated public access maps to show existing and proposed future access points
- Aligned the Local Coastal Plan’s language with the county’s right-to-farm ordinance to support agricultural uses.
- Created additional limits to blufftop development at specific high-sensitivity sites along the coast.
- Revised pesticide regulations to further protect fragile coast ecosystems.
- Clarified reference maps for habitat review and to support agricultural uses.
Next, the Local Coastal Plan Update will be reviewed by the Coastal Commission and certified for consistency with the Coastal Act. You can learn more on the Local Coastal Plan webpage.
Permit Sonoma would like to thank all of the passionate Sonoma County residents who have advocated for the protection of our coast during this update process.
Sincerely,
Claudette Diaz
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