Sonoma County’s Local Coastal Plan helps protect the Sonoma Coast from development and gives extra protection to its unique landscape, plants and animals. The current Local Coastal Plan was last amended in 2001. Permit Sonoma staff and consultants are currently in the process of updating the plan.

Decision makers: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors

• The first public hearing before the Planning Commission is anticipated February/March 2020.
• Go to Permit Sonoma’s Local Coastal Plan Update page to see the Draft Plan and scroll down to Upcoming Public Meetings to subscribe to County meeting notifications.

Opportunities to improve the Local Coastal Plan:

• Include protection for forested areas, especially the redwoods in the floodplain of the Gualala River that are threatened with logging.
• Include language to ban large-scale wineries and event centers on the coast. There is already more traffic on Hwy 1 in the summer than it can handle, and tourist events out at the coast cause more greenhouse gas emissions than a similar event near Hwy 101.
• The LCP update has a section about the Sonoma County fishing industry and its problems, yet there is no mention of the 10 Marine Protected Areas, which appear to be making strides in bringing back fish stock.
• Ban ocean aquaculture of salmon, which harbors disease and threatens wild salmon.
• Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas are listed in the update, but categorization of ESHAs have been eliminated. There is no mention of areas of future potentially sensitive habitat.
• Encourage visitors to use public transit, reducing traffic and the need for new parking. See this report on the successful use of shuttles at Muir Woods.

Updates

• To love the coast we had to save it (2/17/2020)
• The endless battle to save our Sonoma Coast: Keeping an eye on the Local Coastal Plan update (1/6/2020)
• Warning: County rushing to approve Local Coastal Plan with insufficient time for public input (10/14/2019)