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Carpinteria approves $1.62 million design contract for proposed living shoreline with Coastal Conservancy grant funding
Summary
City council authorized a $1.62 million agreement with Integral Consulting for design, community outreach and environmental permitting work on the Carpinteria Living Shoreline project; the contract is funded by a reimbursable Coastal Conservancy grant and spans three fiscal years.
Carpinteria City Council on July 14 authorized an agreement with Integral Consulting Inc. for consulting design services for a proposed Carpinteria Living Shoreline project, approving a contract not to exceed $1,619,932.
The project aims to design a nature-based shoreline resilience approach identified in the city's sea-level rise vulnerability and adaptation planning. Work covered by the contract includes design and construction documents, environmental permitting, a comprehensive community engagement program with outreach to Spanish-speaking residents and tribal consultation, and cost estimating for construction. The city intends to use a Coastal Conservancy grant previously accepted by council to reimburse eligible costs; the grant covers outdoor/design elements but is reimbursable and requires the city to pay costs up front.
Why it matters: The living shoreline effort is meant to provide long-term coastal resilience and habitat benefits while addressing public access, recreation and drainage at Carpinteria City Beach and adjacent areas. Council and staff emphasized extensive community engagement early in the design phase and the need for the city to coordinate environmental review, potential permits and tribal consultation.
Contract and schedule: The total consultant fee is $1,619,932 and is budgeted across three fiscal years (cited in staff materials). Staff recommended the qualification-based selection of Integral after an RFP and negotiation to fit grant funding. The firm will subcontract community-engagement specialist Strategic Earth; staff added that the consultant team includes coastal and geomorphology expertise and a local project lead who previously worked on Carpinteria shoreline studies.
Public outreach: The project will include one-on-one meetings, focus groups, micro-surveys, public forums, and use of promotores to reach Spanish-speaking residents; participation stipends were included in the consultant scope to reduce barriers to attendance. Early work will also map environmentally sensitive habitat areas and explore measures to avoid or buffer ESHA.
Next steps: With the agreement authorized, staff will execute the contract and begin the design and permitting sequence; design deliverables and environmental documents will return to the planning commission and council for required approvals and for Coastal Commission certification when needed.
