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| The beautiful beach fronting Sharp Park golf course Photo (B. McLaughlin) |
Greetings Surfriders and Friends,
The hearing to affirm the Sharp Park portion of the SNRAMP EIR is now scheduled at the SF Board of Supervisors for Tuesday February 28th at 3pm. Again, we are asking that the Board order the Sharp Park golf renovation plans to be removed from the Significant Natural Resource Areas Management Plan's Final Environmental Impact Report (SNRAMP FEIR).
The main reason we are asking for this is because golf course flood control projects have no place in a Natural Areas Plan EIR. An 18-hole golf course is not a natural area.
The golf course renovation work are flood control measures, which are part of a system that includes a protective berm/seawall found on the beach (see pic above). Seawalls are a threat to the fast eroding beaches of Pacifica. They have wreaked enough havoc to the town's shoreline. For erosion facts and seawall impacts to the beach, please see page 13 of the scientific report done on the golf course watershed: http://www.
If you cannot make the hearing on the 28th, please head to our coalition partners at the Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter. They have a great letter writing page. Please personalize your letter by highlighting your concern about the beach. Feel free to copy and paste the following into the letter writing template: "As a member of the Surfrider Foundation, I oppose the golf course flood control work in this EIR. The flood control work found in this document relies in part an engineered system for the wetland which includes a seawall like structure on the beach. Flood control at Sharp Park has widespread and significant long term impacts to the shoreline. Any such renovation work should be taken up in a separate EIR."
Finally, SF Planning is due to take up the draft LCP amendment for Sloat on March 2nd at 12pm. Agenda item time is still TBA. Please send a letter if you cannot make it! (see Maggie Wenger email address below). Help us reinforce our call for an erosion plan that leads to beach restoration and infrastructure security by means of managed retreat.
We need folks to especially point out that the draft should be amended to allow for the relocation of the road and parking lot to be done in 2 phases. The current version at SF Planning does not include this. Phase one should commence asap. Remove the curve in the road south of Sloat and re-align each of the lanes (1 northbound / 1 southbound) onto the furthest landward side of the bluff. Then, build new temporary parking until the long-term plan is ready for construction. With initial relocation of the road and parking we can avoid new emergency armoring, protect our vehicle infrastructure now, open up safer and saner parking, and reduce emergency road closures.
Again, if you cannot make the hearing, please send a letter to SF Planning: maggie.wenger@sfgov.org
Thanks again for your participation and interest!
