Coastal permit administrator approves Duckham coastal development permit after redesign increases buffer from sensitive habitat

The Mendocino County Coastal Permit Administrator on Oct. 9 approved coastal development permit CDP2022-0042 for Jeffrey and Carolyn Duckham to convert an existing attached garage and porch into a workout room and half bathroom, construct a 576-square-foot detached garage, and install a 6-by-44-foot therapy pool with a 759-square-foot fenced deck at 47030 Big Gulch Road in Wallowa.

The permit matters because the parcel sits on a bluff top near identified environmentally sensitive habitat areas (ESHAs) and required review by trustee agencies including the California Coastal Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Staff and the trustee agencies requested changes and mitigation to reduce impacts to coastal bluff scrub, meadow and a manmade seasonal drainage channel on the site.

Staff planner Sandy Arellano told the…