Council approves Caltrans corridor-planning grant application and authorizes OPC sea-level rise grant submission

Crescent City's council on Nov. 17 authorized staff to apply for two state-funded planning grants: a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning grant to study the Redwood Highway (Highway 101) corridor and an Ocean Protection Council (OPC) grant to develop a sea-level rise adaptation strategy.

On the Caltrans proposal, staff said the Redwood Highway multimodal transportation and land-use plan (MTLUP) would focus on safety and accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers along the highway corridor into downtown, and on linkages to the harbor. The application requested $443,353 with an 11.47% match ($50,853); staff said the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission had indicated it would consider allocating $44,352 as local match so the city would not need to use general-fund dollars. Staff noted a tight grant timeline (application due Nov. 21) and that letters of support had been obtained from local partners.

For coastal resilience, consultant Bob Brown (SHN) described the OPC opportunity to prepare a vulnerability assessment and adaptation strategy to meet state requirements (SB 272) and position the city for implementation funds. The project would identify adaptation options (retreat, defend, adapt), include public engagement and dovetail with county hazard-mitigation work. Council members framed the work as a public-safety and emergency-planning priority and voted to authorize application submission.

Both motions passed unanimously (Altman: yes; Tinkler: yes; Wright: yes). Staff will return with grant agreements and next steps if awards are made.