© B. Sanborn
Long-Term Prospects | 2030 Adaptive Revision
The Ocean Beach environment is highly constrained. It shares with many urban beaches the presence of dense settlement along the coast and many owners and users. But Ocean Beach has additional challenges as well: ongoing erosion, minimal space between the coast and significant features, and the presence of new, high-value, publicly financed infrastructure that is delivering important environmental services. Two major features — the Lake Merced Tunnel and the Westside Transport — run along the coast, limiting the beach’s natural evolution by creating a fixed boundary. These structures represent major and successful new investments in water-quality protection, and their near-term relocation is not being contemplated by decision makers. However, as sea level rise sets in, it is likely to become increasingly difficult to maintain all existing structures in their current locations without an unacceptable degradation of environmental, recreational and aesthetic conditions.
III-26
ocean beach master plan | May 2012