Monthly Archives: July 2017

SAN DIEGO

Parking Lot to Wetland

Today I attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a new segment of the Coast To Crest Trail, which was completed as part of a wetland restoration project that turned a parking lot back into wetlands.

This view is facing East, along the existing trail that runs 71 miles along the San Dieguito River to its source on Volcan Mountain.

Looking Southwest, you can see the newly created wetlands where there was a parking lot. The new trail segment is on the right.

To the South, the wetlands are in the foreground, behind them is the river, and beyond the river is an earlier wetlands restoration project.

The current project is being funded by the Del Mar Fairgrounds as part of an agreement with the Coastal Commission to resolve some Coastal Act violations. The San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club played a role in this long saga with some research by legal interns, and a successful lawsuit against the fairgrounds.

This article has more about the project.

SOUTH

Spring News

Some good, some bad…

Banning Ranch
In March, the California Supreme Court ruled that the City of Newport Beach had wrongly approved the Banning Ranch Development. That maans that before the developer can bring a proposal back to the Coastal Commission, they must first get an approval from the City on the new project.

Redondo Beach Waterfront
At the May hearings, the Commission found substantial issue on two projects in Redono Beach. The Sierra Club participated as an appellant. The Palos Verdes Group will be tracking these as they work their way through the appeal process and come back for de novo hearings.

The Edge
At the June hearings, it was announced that a judge had denied the Sierra Club lawsuit against the commission over the approval of the Edge project.