Coastal Act

The California Coastal Act of 1976 governs land use and development by public agencies within California’s coastal zone. The Coastal Act has stated goals of providing public access to the coast while also preserving natural coastal resources. These goals are accomplished through statewide regulations and policies governing coastal development and land use. This body of state law acts to supersede a substantial amount of local control of land use and development by cities and public agencies in their coastal zones. The California Coastal Commission is charged by state law with implementing the Coastal Act. Development in the coastal zone generally will require, in addition to any local requirements, the issuance of a coastal development permit. Cities and public agencies through an approved local coastal program are able to preserve some measure of local control.

Expertise

The attorneys at A&W assist our clients with navigating the Coastal Act’s regulations and requirements. When a coastal development permit is necessary for development the attorneys at A&W work with our clients on satisfying the requirements of the Coastal Act while pursuing the realization of local goals and objectives. The legal team at A&W provides expert advice to our clients in need of legal counsel on local coastal plans. And, when a client is in need of navigating the requirements and expectations of the California Coastal Commission, the specialists at A&W are there to provide experienced advice and counsel.

Expertise in Action

A&W has successfully counseled clients on important and substantial development projects and land use issues in the Coastal Zone. For example, vacation rental ordinances are a contentious issue for many cities when addressing the expectations of the Coastal Commission. Our team diligently worked with a client on the crafting and completion of a robust vacation rental ordinance that met the expectations and approval of both the client and the Coastal Commission. In addition to expert counsel on land use matters in the Coastal Zone, our attorneys have worked with clients on successfully securing coastal development permits for controversial projects. The attorneys at A&W provided legal counsel and guidance for the application and eventual approval by the Coastal Commission of a coastal development permit for a contentious $160 million public works project. Our team has also worked with clients on updates to their local coastal plans that meet Coastal Commission requirements while preserving local values and policy direction. From development projects, to land use, to local coastal plans, the attorneys at A&W are ready to serve our client’s legal needs in navigating the California Coastal Act.

We are assisting our client in obtaining approval of a Coastal Permit for the installation of six sets of automated license plate reader camera systems for two neighborhoods within the client’s coastal zone and assisting our client in adopting a residential parking program with the client’s coastal zone over objections of the Coastal Commission staff.