Month: October 2023

An off-shore barrier is being proposed from SFO to as far south as Coyote Point to create a lagoon that would protect the shoreline from sea-level rise through doors that could close during large storms or extreme tides.

The proposal is by OneShoreline, the county’s Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District, and its CEO Len Materman is making the rounds to various government agencies to explain the concept and gather feedback.

“OneShoreline was created to address huge problems that need huge solutions. I don’t want our legacy to do things on the margins. I want to address this issue,” Materman said.

The proposed off-shore barrier is still in the concept phase. However, if approved, the structure would connect from the San Francisco International Airport’s barrier it is constructing and would span from Millbrae as far south as Coyote Point on the San Mateo and Burlingame border, Materman said during a Burlingame City Council presentation Monday, Oct. 16…

For the first time in California history, all coastal cities, including those in the Bay Area, must plan for sea-level rise, a looming climate impact yet to be fully experienced.

The new law — SB 272 — requires big cities like San Francisco and small towns like Strawberry along Richardson Bay to develop strategies and recommend projects to address future sea-level rise by 2034. While seas have risen only about 8 inches since the 1880s, the ocean and the bay could rise by about a foot by midcentury — thanks mainly to human-caused climate change.

Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) authored the bill recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor vetoed a similar bill last fall, noting budget constraints. Laird said his team worked with Newsom’s office to ensure there are dollars in the budget for local planning on sea-level rise. California’s final budget included $1.1 billion in investments for coastal resilience programs over multiple years…