Coastal Commission Grants Naples Seawall Permit

A retired Long Beach deputy city attorney cried foul, but that didn’t stop the California Coastal Commission from approving the Long Beach Public Works Department’s request for a Coastal Development Permit to repair of the first of five, 400-foot-long sections of the Naples Island seawall.

The $9.5 million city-estimated repair cost is coming from the city’s Tidelands Fund, money intended to maintain coastal resources. The City of Long Beach has estimated that the total cost to repair each segment of about a mile's worth of seawall at $58 million in 2010 dollars.

Retired Long Beach Deputy City Attorney Jim McCabe, a Belmont Heights resident who formerly handled Tidelands legal cases, told commissioners he believes the seawall is a “gift of public funds.”

McCabe went on to explain that "the $9.5 million dollars is sought to repair bulkheads that benefit private property owners, whose private yards are held up by these bulkheads, whose private boat slips are attached to these bulkheads, and whose property value is vastly increased by being on the water--protected by these bulkheads.”

McCabe noted that there was extensive discussion at the June 15, 2010, City Council meeting about property owners picking up at least part of the tab (see http://patch.com/A-dk9g).

“Under no circumstances would these property owners agree to contribute to their own bulkhead, even though the city attorney said it was possible,” McCabe said.

McCabe's views were countered by John Ainsworth, deputy director of the Commission’s South Coast District Office in Long Beach. Ainsworth said Tidelands Funds should be used for public improvements. “In this case the improvements to the seawall, repairs to the seawall, do support the public sidewalk along the bulkhead in the Naples Island area. Also it
provides for the channel area. The public uses those channels for kayaking, gondola rides and other recreational uses, so there is a public component to these improvements."

Unless the project is halted on appeal, it would likely take place begin Sept. 15 and May 15, between The Toledo and Ravenna Drive. It will be prioritized in five phases.

The application explains that the repairs will be made “by coring 4-in. diameter holes and installing soil anchors. The fix is expected to last about 75 years."

A lower-cost option that the City Council rejected in June 2010 would have repaired the sea wall for 10 to 15 years for $2.2 million, but could have repaired more seawall sections. Some opponents of the spending noted that the city is still in deficit.

Third District City Councilman Gary DeLong opposed that option, urging a long-term investment that would last, according to city staff, about 75 years.