Summary
The Commission certified the National Park Service’s proposal to repair and modify the public parking lots at Stinson Beach to improve its climate resilience. The proposal includes restoring surrounding dune, floodplain, and riparian habitat to make the park more resilient to flooding and coastal storms. Rather than build seawalls or other hard armoring, NPS is pulling parking back from the most flood-prone areas and letting native habitat expand into that space, while widening the buffer along Easkoot Creek. The reconfiguration reduces total parking by about 10 percent, from 750 to 680 spaces, but NPS is pairing that loss with more bike parking, better ADA and pedestrian access, continued coordination with Marin Transit, and a commitment to keep looking for ways to add spaces back into the final design. Surfrider and West Marin EAC supported the project.
This item was moved to consent and approved with several others via a single vote. Commissioner Wilson voted no based on his opposition to a separate item moved to consent, not this one, therefore ActCoastal is not counting that as an Anti-Coast vote.
Why You Should Care
Sea level rise is making the balance between public access and coastal resource protection harder to strike every year, and Stinson Beach is only one example of a tension playing out statewide. Working with the Commission, NPS prioritized managed retreat and nature-based restoration over hard armoring that would ultimately degrade the very beach these parking lots exists to serve. A smaller lot that stays open beats a bigger one that floods and closes for weeks after every storm. Losing 70 spaces will cost the community and its visitors, but it buys parking that stays usable and a more resilient shoreline.
Outcome
Pro-Coast Vote
Anti-Coast Vote
Organizations in Support
Surfrider, West Marin EAC
Organizations Opposed
Decision Type
Consistency Determination
Staff Recommendation
Concurrence