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 City of Solana Beach
Section 3
Shoreline and Coastal Bluff Management Strategies Draft MEIR
Environmental Impact Analyses
For the purposes of assessing impacts to biological resources resulting from the alternative City
policies related to shoreline protection, this evaluation must necessarily remain focused at the
policy level. Each alternative shoreline protection policy or program may potentially allow
various impacts to biological impacts, and these impacts can only be evaluated at the program
level. Specific project-related impacts will necessarily be evaluated during the development and
review of specific projects. For reasons explained in Section 1.5 through 1.51.3, such specific
projects may require the preparation of mitigated negative declaration, focused EIRs, or
ordinary EIRs, depending on the nature and extent of their impacts.
3.3.2.2 Impact Assessment
Alternative 1 No Project - Continuation of Existing Policy
The No Project Alternative would maintain the current City policy with regard to shoreline
protection. The policy allows the construction of various shoreline protection structures along
the coast, based on established guidelines. The ultimate result of maintaining the existing
shoreline protection ordinance is the continued development of these structures. Although the
specific impacts of constructing or maintaining specific structures is not evaluated, the potential
impacts resulting from the policy allowing the structures to be built is evaluated below.
Under this alternative, the preferred strategy for coastline protection in Solana Beach is through
shoreline protection structures. Implementation of this strategy would presumably be through
the construction of new structures, where needed, along Solana Beach's cliffs. This policy
would contribute to the following effects on biological resources in the project area.
Implementation of this policy, and the resulting construction of protection structures, would
contribute to the continued reduction in beach width within the project area. This would
contribute to the loss of foraging and roosting habitat for common gulls and shorebirds. As the
California least tern and western snowy plover are known from the vicinity, the reduction in
beach width would result in the loss of potential foraging and roosting habitat for these sensitive
species.
The contribution of this policy and the construction of structures, to the acceleration of beach
loss, is difficult to determine against the baseline loss of beach width. The loss of beach width
and potential loss of foraging and roosting habitat for these species is considered less than
significant. Considering the lack of suitable grunion spawning beaches within the project area,
no impact to this resource is expected.
The reduction in beach width would also result in reduction in the width of the intertidal zone
within the project area. An alteration of the wave action zone in the intertidal and nearshore
subtidal may also result. The reduction in area of intertidal would reduce the habitat for the
algae and invertebrate species that inhabit this zone. This impact is considered less than
significant. Because these species are common in the region and have rapid recovery rates,
the potential shift in species composition in the nearshore subtidal zone is considered less than
significant.
Project No. 323530000
Page 3-45
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