Santa Barbara city officials are looking toward the future of the waterfront, developing a 30-year plan considering both quick fixes and long-term enhancements to mitigate the impacts from sea-level rise, erosion, and flood hazards over the next few decades and beyond.
The city’s Harbor Commission had a chance to weigh in on the 30-year Waterfront Front Adaptation Plan during its March 19 meeting, where city staff outlined the process that will hopefully lead to a completed draft plan ready for City Council approval in spring 2027. It’s a two-and-a-half-year effort that the city is halfway through at this point, according to Senior Climate Adaptation Analyst Timmy Bolton, who gave the presentation during the recent commission hearing.
City staff gathered public input in 2024 and spent most of 2025 developing a list of options to be presented through the gauntlet of city review boards and stakeholder groups this year for more input. This will help city planners whittle down a draft with priority projects covering the entire three-mile area from Leadbetter Beach near Shoreline Drive down Cabrillo Boulevard through the harbor, West Beach, and East Beach…