Partial funding for Surfers Beach project approved

The Harbor District is overseeing the project — which aims to dredge and relocate around 100,000 cubic yards of sand along the inside of the Pillar Point Harbor to the Surfers Beach area — and has obtained $2.7 million in state construction funding.

But some commissioners expressed concerns around the project’s finances, noting that in more than 10 years of planning, additional funding had been requested several times. Full approval for other costs, including biological monitoring and surfing condition monitoring, was deferred to the March 19 meeting when commissioners will receive a comprehensive cost breakdown.

“The cost creep is what I’m concerned about. I just want to know what that total cost is,” Commissioner Virginia Chang Kiraly said. “I get and understand that the permitting process has been a nightmare. I’d like to show the county that too.”

Delays and additional funding requirements have been due in large part to new permit requirements, like one for a statewide eelgrass mitigation policy that requires no net loss of the plant. Additional snafus with statewide regulatory agencies like the California State Water Resources Control Board have caused additional delays, commissioners said.

“One email that wasn't opened by a state agency delayed us an entire year,” Commissioner Tom Mattusch said.

The project will proceed as-is and on-schedule for now with the allotted funding, Danitz said. It will go out to bid in early March as survey results are finished and preconstruction permits are finalized.

In April 2025, eelgrass surveys and black abalone surveys will occur, and a public meeting will be held to provide additional information about what construction efforts mean for local communities. By May, the various agencies involved in the project will gear up for mobilization Danitz said, and construction and dredging will take over a month.

The goal of the project has long been twofold: both to mitigate sand getting stuck in the harbor and to stop Surfers Beach erosion, which is threatening the integrity of Highway 1.

“This is a pilot project. The Harbor District agreed to take on because it’s an important project and the community has been very supportive of it,” Danitz said. “As we study and monitor it and it turns out to be a success … a larger version could be pursued in future.”

Despite the temporary delay in full funding approval, multiple commissioners reiterated that they were eager to see the project move forward.

“I don’t want this project to be stalled. I think the community wants this project to be done yesterday or last year,” Commissioner Chang Kiraly said. “I do too.”