San Francisco LCP Grant

The Commission awarded $628,000 to San Francisco to develop a Coastal Adaptation Plan for the city's outer coast. The grant will fund an updated sea level rise vulnerability assessment using the most recent state guidance, a Visitor and Accessibility Study examining how coastal access may be impacted by sea level rise (with focus on environmental justice communities), and a technical analysis of potential habitat areas. The project includes development of initial LCP amendments addressing environmental justice, habitat protection, and baseline sea level rise policies. 

The updates are particularly critical given recent dramatic adaptation actions like the Great Highway closure and new 2-mile Sunset Dunes park, and the planned seawall at Sloat - changes that significantly affect previous planning work. Ocean Beach is a highly energetic wave environment where erosion has consistently been underestimated, making realistic vulnerability assessments essential.

Outreach efforts will include three rounds of public engagement, targeted engagement with environmental justice communities including groups like Queer Surf and Salted Roots, and Tribal consultation with both NAHC-listed tribes and local representatives. Additionally, Surfrider San Francisco’s Chapter Manager will serve on an advisory committee for the grant work, which will allow them to support and shape the City's habitat, public access, and coastal adaptation goals.

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This grant depletes the remaining LCP Grant Program funds (from the 2021 Budget Act's $31 million allocation), making it the last award until new funding becomes available. San Francisco's approach demonstrates how cities can tackle complex adaptation planning through phased LCP updates - starting with baseline policies before moving to comprehensive amendments. The project's emphasis on environmental justice ensures that diverse communities already facing disproportionate vulnerabilities will have meaningful input in shaping adaptation strategies that affect coastal access and resilience along SF's challenging outer coast. The inclusion of both sea level rise vulnerability analysis and targeted community outreach with a focus on EJ communities earns San Francisco’s LCP Grant Award a Pro-Coast vote.