TranslateProposed Local Coastal Plan Update
Board of Supervisors Approves Local Coastal Plan Update
Meeting Details and Project Information
After the participation of hundreds of stakeholders, coastal advocates, and subject matter experts, the Board of Supervisors on July 17th, 2023, voted unanimously to adopt the first comprehensive update to the Local Coastal Plan in two decades.
The July 17th, 2023 Vote did the following:
- Placed increased restrictions on industrial development including requiring a vote of the people of Sonoma County for large-scale industrial energy production facilities crossing the San Andreas fault.
- Responded to how sea level rise has changed coastal conditions and increased risks related to climate change.
- Added new fire prevention programs for vegetation management, defensible space, and grazing.
- Updated public access maps to show existing and proposed future access points
- Aligned the Local Coastal Plan’s language with the county’s right-to-farm ordinance to support agricultural uses.
- Created additional limits to blufftop development at specific high-sensitivity sites along the coast.
- Revised pesticide regulations to further protect fragile coast ecosystems.
- Clarified reference maps for habitat review and to support agricultural uses.
- Documents for the Approved Sonoma County Local Coastal Plan
Instructions: Select the drop-down menu (">" symbol) to access:- Item Number (1) for the July 17, 2023, Board of Supervisors Draft Local Coastal Plan project materials. (Select desired document.)
- Item Number 01 (2) for the July 17, 2023, Board of Supervisors approved Local Coastal Plan. (Select desired document. It may take some moments for document to load.)
Next Steps:
The California Coastal Commission will need to certify the updated Local Coastal Plan before it goes into effect.
Purpose
The State requires Sonoma County to develop a Local Coastal Plan (LCP) to regulate land use, protect coastal resources, and guide coastal development. In the last several decades, we have learned about changing conditions on the Coast including the need for:
- adapting to climate change, including sea-level rise;
- safeguarding public access;
- protecting water resources;
- conserving of coastal ecosystems;
- preserving of agriculture;
- mitigating hazards and wildfire resiliency.
The Local Coastal Plan update will address these areas while making the plan more modern and easier to understand and use.
Local Coastal Plan Update Documents
- Board of Supervisors Draft Local Coastal Plan Update Policy Discussion Papers - July 2023 (PDF 481 KB)
- Board of Supervisors Draft Local Coastal Plan Update Policy Discussion Papers - July 2023 (Red-Lined Version | PDF 481 KB)
- Board of Supervisors Draft Local Coastal Plan Update Maps - July 2023 (PDF 60.3 MB)
- Board of Supervisors Draft Local Coastal Plan Update Maps - July 2023 (Red-Lined Version | PDF 60.3 MB)
- Board of Supervisors Policy Options - Local Coastal Plan Update - February 2023
- Planning Commission Recommended Local Coastal Plan - August 2022
- California Coastal Commission Comments and Element Markups
- Public Comments Received on June 2021 Public Review Draft
- Public Comments and Responses Provided to the Planning Commission
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Local Coastal Program?
In 1976, the California Legislature enacted the Coastal Act, which created a mandate for coastal counties to manage the conservation and development of coastal resources through a comprehensive planning and regulatory program called the Local Coastal Program. The primary goal of the Local Coastal Program is to ensure that the local government’s land use plans, zoning ordinances, zoning maps, and implementation actions within the Coastal Zone are consistent with the requirements, provisions, and policies of the California Coastal Act.
In Sonoma County, the Local Coastal Program consists of three components: The local Coastal Plan, the Coastal Zoning Ordinance, and the Coastal Administrative Manual. The Local Coastal Plan is a broad, long-range policy document that guides resource protection and future development in the Coastal Zone, which is implemented through the Coastal Zoning Ordinance and Coastal Administrative Manual.
Once the Local Coastal Plan has been recommended by the Planning Commission and approved by the Board of Supervisors, it will be reviewed by the California Coastal Commission and certified for consistency with the California Coastal Act. Once certified, the updated Local Coastal Plan policies will be the standard of review for development in the Coastal Zone, with the exception of jurisdiction retained by the Coastal Commission, which included public trust lands and tidelands, as well as appeals to approvals between the first public road and the sea; within 300 feet of a beach or the mean high tideline where there is no beach; within 300 feet of a coastal bluff edge; or within 100 feet of a wetland, estuary, or stream.
Public Participation and Next Steps
From the beginning of the County’s Local Coastal Program, there has been strong citizen participation. Over 500 members of coastal communities have participated and these workshops generated over 400 comments from individuals, interest groups, agencies, and research organizations.
Public Hearings, Consideration, Review, and Certification
Once the Board reviews and adopts the Local Coastal Plan, the Board adopted Local Coastal Plan will go to the Coastal Commission for review and certification in a public hearing.
Previous Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission Public Hearing Agendas:
- November 10, 2021: Noise, Vibration, and Light Policy, Public Safety Element, Public Facilities & Service Element.
- December 9, 2021: Circulation and Transit Element, Water Resources Element, Agricultural Resources Element.
- January 13, 2022: Cultural & Historic Resources Element, Land Use Element (partial)
- February 3, 2022: Land Use Element, Open Space & Resource Conservation Element (partial)
- March 3, 2022: Open Space & Resource Conservation Element (complete), Public Access Element.
- March 28, 2022: Initial review of Local Coastal Plan incorporating Planning Commission changes
- June 29, 2022: Continue Review and Recommendation to the Board of Supervisors
- August 30, 2022: The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors held a public workshop to provide an update on the Local Coastal Plan as recommended by the Planning Commission.
- October 4, 2022: The Board of Supervisors held a hearing on the LCP and asked staff to make additional recommendations before the item was returned to the Board.
- April 4, 2023: The Board of Supervisors held a hearing on the LCP and asked staff to make additional recommendations before the item was returned to the Board.
Implementation
After certification, the Local Coastal Plan will be implemented through an updated Coastal Zoning Ordinance and revised Administration Manual. These documents are subject to the same public review, hearings, and certification process as the Local Coastal Plan, with opportunities for public input and recommendations at each step.
Previous Local Coastal Plan Drafts
Our Local Coastal Plan History
1980 Local Coastal Plan
The process of preparing the Sonoma County Local Coastal Plan (LCP) began in 1978, and from the beginning included strong citizen participation. The Draft LCP was completed and adopted by the Board of Supervisors in May 1980, certified by the Coastal Commission in December 1980, and became effective in January 1981.
However, the adoption and certification of The Sea Ranch portion of the LCP were deferred due to disagreement about public access and pending litigation between the developer Oceanic and the Coastal Commission. Following the resolution of these issues with a settlement agreement, the County developed the Land Use Plan for The Sea Ranch. In 1982 the Coastal Commission certified The Sea Ranch portion of the LCP and the LCP implementation plan that included the Administrative Manual and the Coastal Zoning Ordinance.
1989 General Plan & Local Coastal Plan
In 1989 the County adopted a new General Plan, which directed the County to update and revise the Local Coastal Plan to be consistent with the new General Plan. In 1993, 1995, 1999, and 2001 the Coastal Commission certified amendments to the LCP, which adopted technical changes to ensure consistency with the General Plan.
Current Local Coastal Plan
View the current adopted Local Coastal Plan.