Submitted By: City Manager
Prepared By: Andy Hall, City Manager
Subject:
title
2026 UPDATED DRAFT SAN CLEMENTE COASTAL STRATEGIC PLAN
body
Summary:
Staff is pleased to introduce the City’s 2026 Updated Draft Coastal Strategic Plan which describes ongoing and planned high priority coastal projects and programs to be implemented to protect and restore the City’s sandy beaches. The updated plan reflects accomplishments and new efforts underway since the 2024 plan was published.
A foundational City goal embedded in the Coastal Strategic Plan is the implementation of a suite of projects which taken together comprise a comprehensive, long-term, Citywide coastal resiliency strategy for all residents and visitors. The Coastal Strategic Plan outlines a range of projects and programs intended to widen the beach over time making consistent progress with incremental steps that widen City beaches. While some progress has been made to reverse the trend of shoreline erosion, significant work remains in San Clemente. Interim goals include achieving beach width that is widened to 100 feet wide over the next decade and then widening the beach to 200-250 feet within two decades.
Background:
San Clemente has experienced widespread beach erosion over the past several decades due to historic, natural sand supplies being cut off and no longer reaching the beach coupled with significant storm wave events and El Nino events over time. The City’s shoreline is now in a significant sediment-deficit condition requiring immediate action and intervention to proactively restore the public beach so that it can function once again as natural shoreline protective infrastructure. Based on the May 2026 Shoreline Monitoring Program results, the beaches in the City range from a minimum of 0 feet (e.g., no dry beach) to 179 feet in width. The next shoreline profile monitoring data will be collected at 18 transect locations later this month.
Coastal erosion threatens the City’s public beaches...
Click here for full text