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County staff outline multi‑million‑dollar Local Coastal Program update and sea‑level rise study
Summary
Planning staff described a Coastal Commission‑funded LCP update (about $2.2 million plus a county match) and related studies — groundwater, Highway 1 traffic, visual/archaeological, biological resources and a separate sea‑level rise vulnerability assessment — and announced upcoming public comment opportunities and an interested‑parties email (lcpupdate@mendocinocounty.gov).
Mendocino County planning staff presented a detailed update on the Local Coastal Program (LCP) overhaul, funded primarily by a Coastal Commission Round 8 grant awarded in 2022 and by a separate rolling grant for sea‑level rise work.
Planning and Building Services Director Julia Krog told commissioners the Round 8 award was "almost $2,200,000" with a county match of $200,000 and outlined contracts with consultants for technical studies: Larry Walker & Associates (coastal groundwater), TJKM (State Route 1 transportation study), EMC Planning (visual and archaeological resources and CEQA compliance) and WRA (biological resources). Krog said the county has been adjusting scopes and schedules — including a proposed revision to groundwater tasks — and expects several completed tasks to be posted for public comment later this month.
Krog described the sea‑level rise vulnerability assessment as a separate rolling grant and said Environmental Science Associates was awarded that contract; she said the county extended the grant termination date for that project to 12/31/2026 and expects finalized deliverables around June 2026. She also described stakeholder outreach, tribal consultation and a community workshop on visual and archaeological resources; video recordings and survey results will be posted on the project web pages.
On housing and rezoning questions, Krog noted the county’s RHNA allocation for the whole county is roughly 6,456 units and that the unincorporated area is likely to be responsible for about 50 units; she cautioned that timing and Coastal Commission consultation requirements may affect rezoning work tied to the housing element. Staff advised interested residents to subscribe at lcpupdate@mendocinocounty.gov to receive notices of published tasks and upcoming engagement opportunities.
Krog said policy drafting and mapping will begin after the technical tasks are sufficiently complete, with public policy workshops anticipated in early 2026, and emphasized coordination with the Coastal Commission through all policy steps.
