Supervisors ask Coastal Commission to hold Albion River Bridge hearings locally, approve consolidated permit referrals

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on March 10 amended two consent items related to the Albion River Bridge and asked staff to request that the California Coastal Commission hold any hearings on the consolidated coastal development permit applications in the Commission’s North Coast District within Mendocino County.

Planning and Building Services Director Julia Krog told the board that the county and Coastal Commission share jurisdiction over geotechnical borings tied to the Albion River Bridge and that consolidation — where the state agency processes the coastal permit for the whole project — is typically recommended so that “the commission can evaluate the whole of the project and be able to ensure that the conditions of approval and the review that’s conducted is a holistic analysis.”

Preservation supporters urged the board to remove the items from the consent calendar and hear them as regular business. Anna Marie Weibel of the Albion Bridge Stewards said the bridge is a state and federal historic landmark and warned consolidation and consent-calendar treatment would “significantly impair” public participation under the Coastal Act. “This is not the right move to pursue this,” Weibel said, urging the board to deny the request or treat it as a full hearing.

Supervisor Williams moved to amend the recommended action to include staff-transmitted letters requesting that the Coastal Commission hold hearings locally in the county’s North Coast District; the motion was seconded and, after public comment, carried unanimously for both consent items (C16 and C17). Krog confirmed the county could transmit such a letter when adopting a resolution if the board so chose.

The board’s action does not itself grant permits; it requests the Commission consider holding hearings in the North Coast District and preserves a local forum for public testimony. Directors and members of the public noted there is an active lawsuit related to the bridge and asked that any correspondence clarify the county’s limited permitting authority so that potential litigation would be nominally aimed at the state rather than the county.

Next steps: the board’s letter will be transmitted to the Coastal Commission and the county will monitor whether the Commission schedules the matter for a North Coast District meeting within Mendocino County. The Commission will retain authority to accept, deny or consolidate coastal permitting for state-level review.