With its eyes set on everything from beach staircases to the Children’s Pool seawall, the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy provided an update on its plans for the coming year and beyond at the March 23 La Jolla Parks & Beaches meeting.
The conservancy, formed last year and inspired by the public/private collaboration between the city of San Diego and La Jolla’s Friends of Coast Walk Trail, aims to provide a mechanism for private groups to conduct repairs on city land by using a long-term right-of-entry permit rather than starting from scratch for each project. The conservancy has a three-year permit with an option for a two-year renewal.
The areas to be covered include Coast Walk Trail, Scripps Park, South Casa Beach, Wipeout Beach, Cuvier Park and Whale View Point.
Within 100 days of getting its special-use right-of-entry permit from the city, the conservancy funded and carried out two local projects: removing a dead Canary Island date palm tree at Goldfish Point next to The Cave Store parking area and re-staining the exterior and repainting the trim of the La Jolla Cove lifeguard tower.
At the LJP&B meeting, conservancy member Brenda Fake outlined some of its next projects.
Near-term plans include assisting in repairs of the beach access staircase at Whale View Point, upgrading post-and-chain barriers along local coastal sidewalks, leveling out local trails and stabilizing the platform under a bench in Cuvier Park.
“These projects build the credibility donors expect before investing in multimillion-dollar efforts,” Fake said.
Projects considered “midterm,” because they will need more funding before they can proceed, include implementation of the Scripps Park Plan to improve accessibility and landscaping; repairing the beach access staircase at South Casa Beach, which has been closed since 2024 because of damage; and stabilizing a belvedere that has been closed for nearly three years due to erosion-related safety concerns.
This belvedere, or gazebo, in Scripps Park, pictured in 2023, is closed due to erosion concerns. (File)
In total, the projects are expected to cost more than $6 million.
A long-term project the conservancy is considering is restoring the Children’s Pool seawall, which is 95 years old and in need of repair, according to an engineering study commissioned by LJP&B in late 2021 and submitted to San Diego in late 2022.
The list of projects was created in partnership with the city Parks & Recreation Department, Fake said. “It’s the [list of] hot-button things … things we can wrap our heads around,” she said. “We have small little repairs and then these larger ones that require a lot more steps.”
The list was prioritized with input from city representatives and donors.
Learn more at lajollacoastalconservancy.org.
Other Parks & Beaches news
Signage project: An ongoing effort to create and install new signs along La Jolla’s coastline is moving ahead, with seven locations tentatively chosen for directional signs.
LJP&B member Chas. Dye said the project would “provide curated signage from the top of Coast Walk Trail to the tide pools … that is consistent and [similar to] what you would see at national parks,” as opposed to city signs that encourage people to keep their distance from bluffs and animals.
There would be three types of signage: one to direct people to nearby landmarks, another with historical information and a third with information about local species.
In February, volunteers behind the project met with Parks & Recreation staff and collectively decided to start with the directional signs.
The signs have not yet been designed, and any future renderings will go before the Parks & Beaches board for review. Project backers plan to seek grant funding. A timeline for possible installation was not immediately available.
Half marathon gets support: Following the lead of other local planning groups, La Jolla Parks & Beaches gave its support to the upcoming La Jolla Half Marathon, 10K and 5K.
The 47th annual event Saturday, May 16, will feature an inaugural 10K run.
The 13.1-mile half marathon, a signature event of the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla, has a route that spans from Del Mar to La Jolla Cove. The 10K will coincide with the last 6.2 miles of the half marathon course, and the 5K with the last 3.1 miles. All three races will end at La Jolla’s Scripps Park.
The event also got support recently from the La Jolla Village Merchants Association and the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board.
Next meeting: La Jolla Parks & Beaches next meets at 4 p.m. Monday, April 27, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The agenda will be posted at lajollaparksbeaches.org. ♦