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Carpinteria seeking design teams for Living Shoreline; $1.8 million grant covers part of planning
Summary
The city has issued an RFP for design, environmental review and public outreach for a Living Shoreline project aimed at shoreline protection. Staff said a Coastal Conservancy grant provides $1.8 million for the project, with design work now funded and construction funding to be sought later.
Carpinteria City staff said on March 25 that the city has issued a request for proposals for design and outreach services for a Living Shoreline project intended to protect the city’s shoreline from erosion, sea‑level rise and storm surge.
Project scope and funding Erin Maker, the city’s Living Shoreline project manager, told council the RFP seeks a consultant team to provide project management, engineering design (the grant covers design to about 60 percent), environmental review, right‑of‑way investigation and extensive community outreach, including tribal engagement and multilingual public engagement with stipends to encourage participation. Maker said the project already has a grant of $1,800,000 and $60,000 in local funds for the initial design phase; construction remains unfunded and staff will pursue additional funding once a 100 percent design estimate is available.
Feasibility and existing studies Maker said the project follows a Dune and Shoreline Management Plan, which included a feasibility study, and that further feasibility and technical analysis will continue during environmental review and design. “We did a feasibility study as part of the Dune and Shoreline management plan,” Maker said, adding that environmental review, outreach and right‑of‑way investigations will inform the final design.
Outreach and coordination The RFP emphasizes coordination with two other grant‑funded projects to align outreach and reduce duplication. Maker also noted prior modeling and withdrawn work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will help reduce consultant costs because the consulting team will be able to use existing technical data.
Process and timeline Staff said the RFP for consulting services was issued in late March and proposals are due in early May. The consultant will complete design and a CEQA environmental review; the city expects to use the design estimate to seek construction grants. Council members and staff discussed the need to clarify which parts of the shore might be subject to easements or other property interests because the city does not own the entire beach area.
Why it matters The Living Shoreline project is the city’s principal coastal resilience capital project in the CIP and would use nature‑based approaches to preserve shoreline ecology and recreational value. With an initial grant in hand for design, the city is positioned to pursue construction funding, but council and staff cautioned that additional feasibility steps, property coordination and environmental review will affect timing and final scope.
Ending The city will evaluate proposals in May and return to council with project estimates and, if awarded, a recommended funding strategy to move from design into construction funding applications.
