TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Anne McIntosh, Community Development Director
Dana Murray, Environmental Programs Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Resolution No. 18-0129 Approving the City’s Participation in the California Coastal Commission Local Coastal Program (LCP) Planning Grant Program (Community Development Director McIntosh).
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 18-0129
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RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council adopt Resolution No. 18-0129 and authorize staff to:
1. Submit a grant application in the amount of $150,000, to the California Coastal Commission (the Commission) LCP Planning Grant Program;
2. Enter into a grant agreement with the California Coastal Commission if the grant is awarded; and
3. Designate the City of Manhattan Beach’s authorized representative as Bruce Moe, City Manager.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
A total of $750,000 is available for awards through this competitive grant program. There are no established minimum or maximum grant amounts. Based on prior grant experience, applications range in amount from $50,000 to $300,000, and the Commission expects the number and total dollar amount of the applications to exceed the available funds. Awards may be offered for less than the applicant’s request.
The FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget and FY 2019-20 Approved Budget each includes $150,000 for the development of a climate change and sea level rise vulnerability assessment as well as a climate action and adaptation plan to be adopted into the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, General Plan, and LCP. Grant funds from the Commission’s LCP Planning Grant Program could offset these costs.
BACKGROUND:
The Budget Act of 2017 provides $750,000 for Coastal Commission grants to local governments to support LCP planning that results in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the impacts of climate change.
Funding is provided by the California Climate Investments program, a statewide initiative funded by appropriations from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), which puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment - particularly in disadvantaged and low-income communities.
The goal of the grant program is to develop new or updated LCPs in conformance with the California Coastal Act and to reflect current circumstances and new scientific information, especially including new understandings and concern for the effects of climate change. Grant proposals submitted under this grant program must complete LCP planning work with special emphasis on reducing greenhouse gases and addressing the effects of climate change and sea-level rise.
The LCP Program is an essential component of the California Coastal Act. LCPs implement the statewide goals and policies of the Coastal Act at the local level and are required by the Coastal Act for each local coastal jurisdiction. LCPs must specify the kind, location, and intensity of land uses, the applicable resource protection and development policies and implementing ordinances, and must be developed with the widest opportunity for public participation. LCPs and LCP updates are developed by local governments, and, once certified by the Commission, the local government assumes responsibility for the issuance of most coastal development permits pursuant to the certified LCP. The Commission retains some continuing permit authority and authority to hear appeals of some local coastal permits acted on by a local government.
LCPs like Manhattan Beach’s would benefit from updating to reflect changed conditions, new information and knowledge, and new programs and policies, especially those related to climate change and sea-level rise. Updated LCPs provide more certainty for economic development and enable stronger coastal resource protection in light of current environmental conditions and other factors.
For this round of grants, the Commission will be closely reviewing applications for consistency with the goals and requirements of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, as described below. The Commission will review and approve the recommended award of any grant funds, and the proposed projects will be part of that future action. Thus, as proposed, this grant program will facilitate the completion and update of LCPs consistent with the provisions of the Coastal Act and California Code of Regulations.
DISCUSSION:
The purpose of these grants is to support local governments in developing new or amending existing LCPs to plan for and adapt to the impacts of climate change in a manner fully consistent with the policies of the California Coastal Act. Grant funding will support LCP projects that facilitate reductions to greenhouse gas emissions and address impacts of climate change among others.
Staff has reviewed the grant requirements and determined that the City’s priority to analyze sea level rise vulnerabilities and create a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan to plan for sea level rise falls under LCP grant guidelines.
Consistent with California Coastal Act policies, the City of Manhattan Beach’s LCP would be updated to better plan in the Coastal Zone, particularly for climate change and associated sea level rise, extreme high tides, frequency of storm events, and coastal erosion through a vulnerability analysis and adaptation plan. Emphasis would be placed on protecting and enhancing coastal resources, preserving recreational opportunities, and improving adaptation to sea level rise. The primary goals of the project are to: 1) complete a sea level rise vulnerability assessment, 2) create a climate adaptation plan; and 3) update the City’s LCP, Hazard Mitigation Plan, and General Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The City has reviewed the proposed program, and it is exempt from CEQA pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines per Section 15061 (b)(3), the "General Rule" that CEQA only applies to projects that may have an effect on the environment.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 18-0129
2. California Coastal Commission Local Coastal Program Planning Grant Announcement