San Diego Coastal Plan Spurs Debate as City Moves From Seawalls to Nature-Based Defenses

San Diego's City Council has unanimously approved a Coastal Resilience Master Plan that would replace much of the city's traditional hard coastal infrastructure with nature-based solutions, setting off intense debate among residents, local boards and environmental groups.

The plan reimagines shoreline management at popular spots including Sunset Cliffs, Ocean Beach, Tourmaline Surf Park, Mission Beach and La Jolla Shores. City officials say the blueprint — which favors sand dunes, berms, vegetated buffers and pedestrian and bicycle trails over seawalls and revetments — is intended to protect public spaces, private property and infrastructure from accelerating coastal erosion and flooding associated with rising sea levels.

City projections cited in council documents estimate sea levels could rise by as much as 7 feet by 2100, a scenario the city says could put about $8 billion in commercial sales and thousands of businesses countywide at risk. The plan also notes that $150 million to $230 million in city-owned infrastructure could be vulnerable by 2050 if no adaptation measures are taken.

Supporters, including more than a dozen environmental and community organizations that submitted a joint letter to the city, said the approach will enhance habitat, improve recreational access and help the city meet obligations under the Climate Resilient SD initiative begun in 2021. "San Diego's 17 miles of coastline are what make this city special," Councilmember Stephen Whitburn said at the hearing. "They face real threats from flooding and erosion that are only expected to worsen. This plan sets our coastline up for long-term success."

But the plan has provoked sharp pushback from residents and some neighborhood planning boards who say elements would alter beach character, limit access and create traffic problems. Critics have seized on conceptual designs that would narrow vehicle lanes, convert road space to one-way circulation or active-transportation corridors, add elevated sand dunes and berms along shorelines, and possibly introduce paid parking at some cliffside sites.

"This does not seem well thought out," Scott McCaskill of the Ocean Beach Community Foundation told the council. "We've received nearly universal condemnation to the idea of installing any paid parking at the cliffs or OB. This is not about protecting the coast — it's about pushing a political agenda." Javier Saunders of the Peninsula Community Planning Board said nature-based measures alone are insufficient. "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saved Sunset Cliffs in the 1970s using old-school seawalls and engineering — not sand dunes," he said.

Some elements were modified or delayed after public concern. Mission Beach, which had been a focal point in early materials, was removed from the list of fast-tracked projects after lifeguards raised alarms about narrowed beach access and blocked rescue routes. The removal means Mission Beach no longer has a guaranteed funding stream in the near term. La Jolla Shores was also moved out of an accelerated implementation category after criticism of a proposed "seatwall" concept designed to function as a combined seawall and public bench while reorganizing park and parking areas.

Councilmember Joe LaCava, whose district includes Pacific Beach and La Jolla, defended the policy direction. "What we had yesterday won't be there tomorrow unless we take action today," he said. Councilmember Jennifer Campbell sought to temper concerns by stressing the conceptual nature of many elements. "These are conceptual ideas," she said. "We are in the trying-to-figure-it-out phase."

Kelley Stanco, assistant planning director for the city, acknowledged the designs presented to the council are high-level and will require years of engineering analysis, environmental review and community engagement before any construction. "We anticipate project-level studies, public outreach and permitting processes for each site," Stanco told reporters. Nonetheless, some residents said they fear conceptual designs will become de facto decisions.

Public safety arguments have been central to debates. Lifeguard representatives and some residents warned that proposed dune placements and narrowed access corridors could slow emergency response on heavily used beaches. In one example, park and traffic reconfigurations along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard include proposals to convert the two-way cliffside drive to one-way vehicle flow while adding expanded walking and biking pathways; opponents say rerouting traffic through residential streets would create bottlenecks and worsen safety.

Environmental advocates argue the plan shifts San Diego away from short-term fixes toward strategies that allow shorelines to migrate naturally, build habitat and provide recreational value. "Nature-based defenses like vegetated dunes and berms can be more resilient and provide multiple benefits compared with hard armor that often exacerbates erosion elsewhere," said a representative for one signatory organization of the joint letter.

The city faces competing pressures: mounting scientific evidence of sea-level rise and erosion, federal and state adaptation funding opportunities tied to nature-based projects, and strong local attachment to beaches as cultural and economic assets. Councilmembers emphasized the plan is intended to guide future project selection, funding priorities and permitting, while leaving specifics to subsequent engineering studies and community review.

Among neighborhoods, reactions vary. Some coastal business and tourism stakeholders have expressed concern about potential impacts to parking and access that could affect livelihoods. Homeowners and residents in cliffside neighborhoods worry about loss of scenic character and long-standing uses. Community planning boards have signaled interest in more detailed cost-benefit analyses and engineering assessments before specific projects proceed.

The council's approval sets a policy framework and moves several sites into planning phases that will include environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, design alternatives, and public hearings. Funding for any individual project is not automatic; projects will require project-level budgeting, partnerships with agencies and, in many cases, state or federal permits.

As the city proceeds, officials said they will continue outreach to stakeholders, refine designs to address access and safety concerns, and pursue grant opportunities. Opponents said they plan to continue advocacy and scrutiny of project designs and permitting. The debate in San Diego reflects wider tensions along U.S. coasts as municipalities weigh traditional coastal armoring against nature-based adaptation approaches in response to projected sea-level rise.