Coastal hazards are swelling due to climate change, meaning potential chaos for Santa Barbara’s waterfront.
In the name of defense, the city is developing a 30-Year Waterfront Adaptation Plan, for which it is currently seeking public input. The plan will address the threats of sea-level rise — including intense storm surges, erosion, and flooding — on the city’s shoreline from Leadbetter to East Beach over an actionable 30-year time frame. It’s part of a larger effort to build resilience to these and other threats posed by our warming climate, said Timmy Bolton, the city’s climate adaptation analyst.
“Even if you don’t believe in climate change, we’re already experiencing impacts from coastal storms today that we must address,” Bolton noted. He explained that the city’s Sea-Level Rise Adaptation Plan, adopted in 2021, has $5 million in grant funding set aside for projects to address these impacts. The waterfront project is receiving $1.3 million from this pot, provided by the California Coastal Commission and the California State Coastal Conservancy.
Certain areas of the city, the plan states, are vulnerable to up to 6.6 feet of sea level rise. And waterfront infrastructure, like Stearns Wharf, are already threatened by large storms today. Stearns Wharf will eventually join a growing cohort of public wharves and piers around the state needing structural improvements to withstand stronger storms and increasingly destructive waves. Ventura Pier, for example, was severely damaged by the 2023 winter storms, and cost the city more than $3 million to restore.
Step one for the waterfront plan is taking an initial survey of residents to determine their expectations for waterfront management, while also determining the risks posed to the waterfront by sea-level rise over the next 30 years. Next steps include determining adaptation options to preserve recreation, commerce, beach access, habitat, and infrastructure for “near term and future generations,” according to the city. The final plan is expected to be adopted by 2027.
Bolton expects a good response from the community. “The Santa Barbara Waterfront is such a cherished resource to our community; it’s central to our identity,” he said. “At the end of the day, the intent is to move the needle from planning to on-the-ground projects that will create a more resilient future for our community.”
Community members are invited to help guide the planning and outreach process by completing a brief survey at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/WaterfrontSurvey by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 28.
