Submitted By: City Manager
Prepared By: Andy Hall, City Manager
Leslea Meyerhoff, Contract Coastal Administrator
Subject:
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CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING GRANT FUNDING FROM THE STATE COASTAL CONSERVANCY IN THE AMOUNT OF $2 MILLION FOR PHASE 2 OF THE SAND RETENTION PILOT PROJECT PLANNING STUDY, AND FINDING THE PROJECT CATEGORICALLY EXEMPT FROM THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
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Summary:
The City was successful in the pursuit of a $2M grant from the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) that must be accepted by the City Council by adopting Resolution 26-147 (Attachment A). The funding will allow the future award of a professional services agreement to a consultant(s) to conduct the work funded by the SCC grant. This grant has no local cost share match requirement.
The work contemplated by the grant from the State Coastal Conservancy is the next step in the identification of projects that can improve sand retention on the beach using natural methods, or nature-based solutions. The initial phase of the study was funded by a grant from the California Coastal Commission.
The grant is intended to fund the City’s efforts to implement a demonstration or pilot sand retention project in the City as a companion strategy to beach sand replenishment to retain newly added sand for as long as possible and stabilize a wider shoreline over the long term. The grant performance period for the planning study is three years (2026-2029) and work would be completed by the end of 2029.
Building long term coastal resilience, by widening the beaches over time and retaining the sand in place, is a top priority of both the City Council and the community at large. It is anticipated that the three-year planning effort will be informed by technical advisors including community members and agency representatives at various stages of the planning process.
The scope of work includes:
• preparing technical studies
• studying the local and regional sediment flows and wave dynamics
• conducting environmental baseline studies for resources in the nearshore environment
• conducting a new alternatives analysis
• extensive community outreach and engagement
• input from science and agency technical advisors
• numerical modeling and preliminary design for a multi-purpose sand retention project to address coastal erosion along the San Clemente shoreline.
Background:
In November 2022, the City was awarded a grant from the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to re-establish a shoreline monitoring program and prepare a feasibility study to evaluate nature-based sand retention features as a phased companion strategy to beach sand replenishment with the overarching goal of advancing long term coastal resilience in San Clemente. Sand retention was first identified by the City as a consideration in the 2021 Coastal Resiliency Plan.
A potential project, that will be considered along with other identified retention strategies, that emerged from Phase 1 of the Nature-Based Adaptation Project Feasibility Study completed in late 2025, was a sand retention structure envisioned as a rocky reef sited offshore of North Beach and combined with approximately 500,000 cubic yards of sand to combat critical coastal erosion and increase resiliency over the long term.
Although a decision on which project to pursue has not been reached, the initial phased provided a framework by which projects can be measured including economics in terms of cost to benefit ratio (beach attendance data as well as proximity to abundant public parking), coastal access, restrooms, lifeguard towers, and adjacent restaurants and shops. Equally important are potential outcomes such as multiple co-benefits of sand retention, surf enhancement and habitat creation.
Discussion:
A healthy beach functions as a natural buffer from waves and storm energy and protects amenities and facilities on the beach and landward of the beach. Coastal engineers estimate that a 250 foot wide beach will provide protection of landward assets in a 100 year storm event.
Existing beach widths in the City have narrowed to the point that existing structures and critical public infrastructure on the beach are exposed to direct wave energy in some locations along the City’s shoreline. Over time, the continual loss of beach can significantly reduce the area available for public recreation, use and enjoyment, as well as reducing sandy beach habitat.
This new grant will fund field work and technical studies to address data gaps and inform future environmental review and permitting, including studying sediment supply and wave transport dynamics, water quality, nearshore biological resources, and surfing conditions. The grant will also fund an alternatives analysis to optimize the design in consideration of benefits for biological resources, regional sand dynamics, and the City’s approach to address shoreline erosion city-wide. The grant will fund preliminary engineering designs to 30% supported by numerical modeling of the preferred design that emerges from the planning process.
The City will engage with technical advisors, such as regulatory agency staff and topic experts, California Native American tribes, stakeholder groups, and the community to review a range of reasonable alternatives, obtain feedback, refine the concepts, address data gaps, and determine project success objectives and criteria.
Specifically, the purpose of this item is to accept the $2M grant award from the SCC by adopting Resolution 26-147 included as Attachment A. Staff will bring a future contract award for the related grant funded work to a future Council meeting and City staff will report back to the City Council at regular intervals regarding study progress over the next three years.
Considerations Identified by Staff:
It is anticipated that award of a professional services agreement will occur later this month and that services would begin in October 2026 and conclude by December 2029 consistent with the grant timeline. The City’s Draft Coastal Strategic Plan has been updated and describes how a sand retention strategy integrates into the overall long term shoreline management strategy. In addition, staff will bring a report to the City Council regarding the results and findings of the Offshore Sand Source Investigation.
Council Options:
• Adopt Resolution No. 26-147.
• Modify and adopt resolution No. 26-147.
• Direct staff to provide additional information.
Environmental Review/Analysis:
Phase 2 of the sand retention planning study, like Phase 1, is statutorily exempt from CEQA per CEQA State Guidelines Section 15262 (Planning and Feasibility Studies) as the study will not have a legally binding effect on later activities. Phase 2 of the sand retention planning study is also categorically exempt under Class 6 (14 CCR § 15306, Information Collection) Section 15306 of the State CEQA Guidelines because the study consists of basic data collection, research, and resource evaluation activities that do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource.
Fiscal Impact:
The City has been awarded a $2,000,000 grant from the State Coastal Conservancy to conduct a follow up planning study to identify the optimal approach and method for restoring the public beach in San Clemente as a companion strategy to beach sand replenishment. The initial phase of the study was funded by a $300,000 grant from the California Coastal Commission awarded to the City in 2022, with all work completed in 2025.
Potential Action(s):
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Adoption of Resolution 26-147 would:
1. Find Phase 2 of the sand retention planning study statutorily exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under section 15262 (Feasibility and Planning Studies) and categorically exempt from CEQA under Class 6 (14 CCR § 15306, Information Collection) Section 15306 of the State CEQA Guidelines.
2. Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute a grant agreement and any/all related approvals with the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC);
3. Accept grant revenues in the amount of $2M to miscellaneous grant revenue account number 014-636-45300-000-17700; and
4. Authorize a related budget appropriation of $2M to account number 014-636-45300-000-17700.
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Attachment:
1. Resolution 26-147
2. Grant Agreement with State Coastal Conservancy
Notification:
None.