Waterfront Adaptation Plan

The City is evaluating a range of adaptation options to determine which should be evaluated further for feasibility, effectiveness, timing, and cost. A draft Waterfront Adaptation Plan with a recommended adaptation strategy is anticipated for public release in early 2027.

Waterfront-Wide Goals & Priorities

The City is prioritizing adaptation options that accomplish the following goals and priorities:

Initial ideas:

The following options are intended to reflect some initial ideas of adaptation measures and their phasing, which may change after the community engagement process and technical analysis.

The adaptation options could be implemented in phases based on actual changing conditions to ensure that projects happen at the right time and at the appropriate scale.

The City is currently envisioning the following three categories of projects:

Quick Wins: Quick-to-implement, low-cost actions to address pressing safety and flooding issues now, such as temporary deployable flood barriers, drainage improvements, and restriping parking lots to provide a safe place to walk and bike.

Core Measures: Large projects that comprehensively address flooding, erosion, and access issues for at least 30 years, including:

• Strategically relocating some features at Leadbetter and East Beach inland, including parking, restrooms, paths, park areas, to protect and preserve them and create space for wide sandy beaches. 
• Adding sand, berms, and dunes to build up and maintain wide sandy beach areas.
• Upgrading West Beach with better stormwater drainage to improve sand quality and adding amenities such as restrooms and showers to make it a premier beach destination.
• Protecting the Harbor Commercial Area with a revetment topped with a pedestrian promenade to reduce flooding and erosion and improve public access between the Harbor and Leadbetter Beach.
• Improving the Harbor Commercial Area by expanding services for boating and commercial uses, increasing public access, and creating new revenue opportunities to help fund Waterfront improvements.
• Creating a safe, continuous, and separated walking and biking path along the entire Waterfront that is gradually elevated to protect the path and inland areas from flooding. 

Future Options: Largest-scale, highest-cost projects that would address flooding and erosion at higher amounts of sea level rise, beyond 30 years, including: 

• Raising the walking and biking path higher to provide more flood protection for inland areas.
• Moving paths, parks, and facilities further inland to create more space for wide sandy beaches.
• Adding groins, headlands, and offshore reefs to retain sand and widen beaches.
• Protecting the Harbor Marinas by raising the breakwater and installing wave screens.

For more details, view the Preliminary Adaptation Options in PDF format or view the images below. These are initial ideas that will evolve through community input and further technical analysis.

1. Sign up for email updates at left to be notified of upcoming outreach events and opportunities to share your input. 
2. Attend a Board and Commission Meeting. See the schedule of upcoming meetings at the top left.
3. Attend an Outreach Event, including open house events and pop-up tables at the Earth Day Festival and other community events, to share your input. 
4. Participate in the Online Survey (to be released in April)

Funding for this project is provided by the California Coastal Commission, California Coastal Conservancy, and City of Santa Barbara.