Looking to develop a nature-based proposal to protect the beach, road and public facilities at the Torrey Pines State Beach in La Jolla, the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Foundation is creating a “living shoreline project.” To bring it to life, they need input from the public.
The project site is located along a 0.6-mile stretch of Torrey Pines State Beach between the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon inlet and Torrey Pines south beach parking lot.
“With over 2 million visitors annually … Torrey Pines State Beach is [a] valued coastal resource that has been a popular destination for the public since the early 1900s,” the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Foundation wrote last month in an email to supporters. “Several studies have demonstrated that Torrey Pines State Beach and adjacent infrastructure are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change that include rising sea levels.”
Notably, a recent large wave event in January 2023 “exposed the vulnerability of a 0.6-mile section of Highway 101 and coastal facilities” when the waves coincided with spring tides, causing high tides to be at their maximum height. The wave surge flooded the road embankment, leading to a closure of the beach parking lot.
“This storm also contributed to erosion and undercutting along the western edge of Highway 101 with sections of parking spaces literally falling onto the beach,” the Foundation wrote.
Thus, a survey is underway to garner public feedback on how to best prioritize projects for the area before design decisions are made. While it is expected to conclude soon after the July 4 holiday, two additional surveys and a pair of virtual public meetings/workshops are anticipated.
“Gathering public input during the early stages of planning helps to deliver a product that generates multiple benefits and is supported by different groups that use Torrey Pines State Beach and adjacent facilities,” the Foundation continued. “The online survey will take less than five minutes of your time and help us understand the different user groups that frequent this stretch of coastline.”
Questions on the survey include how users get to the beach; how often they visit the area and what they do there; and what priorities they have for future care efforts (such as focusing on improving public safety on nearby accessways or preserving the parking lot). The latter includes additional information and renderings that go along with each possible response.
The survey can be found at: survey.sogolytics.com/r/nwMJt8. Thus far, 110 responses have been recorded.
The $850,000 in funding for the project came from the California State Coastal Conservancy.
“This is a phased project and this is phase one of … [what] will eventually produce 30% of the engineering design and certification under California Environmental Quality Act,” said Mike Hastings, executive director of the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon Foundation. “Phase two will secure needed permits and produce final engineering design and construction plans. Phase three would involve construction of whatever alternative was selected in phase one.”
He added that each phase is expected to take three or four years. Phase one is currently in its second year.
While Torrey Pines Conservancy executive director Solange Jacobs said shoreline protection is “always a good thing,” she wanted to learn more about the project once decisions are made before commenting.