More than a year after a local review committee supported plans for construction of a coastal bluff seawall in Bird Rock, a San Diego hearing officer followed suit.
At an Aug. 19 review, San Diego Hearing Officer Jeffrey Szymanski approved a proposal to construct a permanent protective coastal bluff seawall under a property at 5360 Calumet Ave. The seawall would span approximately 70 linear feet across the bluff edge and be two feet thick, and would contour to the existing bluff surfaces.
There are no proposed changes to the house on site. The application will also require that any sand or rocks from the beach below that are removed be replenished.
The La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee lended its support to the plans in July 2025.
Applicant Bob Trettin, whose firm is carrying out the project, proposes to construct a reinforced shotcrete wall with tieback anchors in the face of the bluff. Shotcrete is a method in which concrete is sprayed at high velocity onto a surface. It would be hand-carved and would match the color and texture of the surrounding bluffs, according to the applicant team.
When a new structure is built, especially near a bluff, it must have a Factor of Safety of 1.5, Trettin previously told the La Jolla Light, meaning it is deemed safe for 75 years and that the structure won’t damage the site. As structures and bluffs age, the Factor of Safety decreases.
Anything less than 1.2 is considered an emergency. Once a property reaches 1.0, it might already have failed, “or could fail overnight,” Trettin said.
When the project was brought forward last year, the property at 5360 Calumet had a Factor of Safety of 1.16, but the project was not being processed as an emergency.
During the hearing officer review, Mark Lopez, a project manager with the city’s Development Services Department, explained that the current Factor of Safety “is below adequate to withstand seismic activity for long term or permanent structures,” but he did not state what the Factor of Safety is as of today.
“The primary residence is currently susceptible to deformation and damage from a … failure occurring along the sensitive coastal bluff slope and thus presents life and safety concerns for the occupants if protective measures are not addressed in the near term,” he added.
A concrete deck covers the rear yard portion of the property. That deck separates the house on site from the bluff, but is now nearing the edge of the bluff.
The only public comment on the proposal came from James Kinsey, who expressed concern about noise during construction and whether the beach would be impacted.
In response, Trettin said the work would stay within the city’s noise requirements for construction projects, and that “we will do our best to keep down the noise while we are out there.”
Project biologist Vincent Scheidt added there would be no net loss of beach as a result of the work.
All said, Szymanski approved the proposal, concluding that “the seawall is necessary.” The decision of the hearing officer is final unless appealed to the city Planning Commission.
The application to build a seawall at 5360 Calumet is the third to be processed for the 5300 block of that street, but the other two were fast-tracked as emergency repairs. A permit for emergency repairs to the bluffs below 5322 Calumet was filed in March 2025, and a similar permit for 5316 Calumet was filed three months later.