Monterey planning commissioners review Resilient Coast assessment and seek funding to pursue adaptation designs

The Monterey Planning Commission on June 23 heard a detailed assessment of sea level rise vulnerabilities for the city and was told staff have secured roughly $1.5 million in planning grants to complete the work and aim to apply for phase‑two funding to develop conceptual (10%) engineering designs.

The presentation by the city’s principal planner, Christy Sabdo, and GHD consultant Laura Engeman summarized the 2025 background report and the finalized 2026 vulnerability assessment. Engeman said updated guidance from the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and revised global and national climate models have left the same level-of-rise benchmarks in place (roughly 0.7 ft, 2.4 ft and 5.2 ft), but have shifted expected timing for when those levels are likely to occur.

Why it matters: the vulnerability assessment identifies immediate, high-consequence risks to coastal transportation and utilities that support residents and businesses, and it must be folded into the city’s Local Coastal Program (LCP) to meet state requirements under Senate Bill 272.

The consultant highlighted several near‑term hotspots. Municipal Beach, Wharf 2 and the Figueroa Street/Del Monte Avenue corridor could see combined coastal flooding, stormwater backflow and surfacing of water through manholes during high tides or large waves. "With one foot of sea level rise, high tide and stormwater can combine and cause water to surface through manholes and impact Del Monte Avenue and Figueroa Street," Engeman said. She also warned that the regional Monterey One Water pipeline that runs behind Municipal Beach is at risk of scour and exposure, and that aging pilings and foundations on the wharves and some Cannery Row structures may suffer increased wave forcing.

Commissioners and staff discussed modeling, data needs and next steps. Engeman described the science behind the timing adjustments as a chain of recent model updates — IPCC global model revisions, national downscaling and the OPC 2024 guidance — and said the most extreme end-member scenario used previously (H++) is no longer judged likely to occur by 2100, though it remains a long-term possibility after 2100. The city uses NAVD 88 as its elevation datum and relies on statewide lidar (circa 2016) for regional models; targeted surveys will be required during design.

Staff said phase two work would include community outreach, identification of preliminary adaptation strategies, and conceptual (10%) engineering for measures chosen through public engagement. Planning Manager Levi Hill said the city submitted an application the same day for OPC funding (SB1) to support phase two work and proposed a January 2027 start for that phase if the grant is awarded.

Several commissioners pressed on equity considerations and adjacent communities’ reliance on Monterey’s beaches and transportation corridors. Engeman said the report examined where disadvantaged populations live and the importance of regional commuting routes and public access; she noted that many disadvantaged communities use Monterey beaches though some are located in neighboring cities.

Public commenters urged the commission to coordinate closely with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and state and federal partners and flagged a pending July 1 Superior Court contest over the city’s inclusion of Tarpey Flats as a buffer. The commission also discussed how the vulnerability assessment will be incorporated into the LCP submission to the California Coastal Commission and noted that jurisdictions that have approved plans by Jan. 1, 2029 may be prioritized for implementation funding.

What happens next: staff will continue outreach and, pending grant awards, begin phase two conceptual engineering to evaluate adaptation options (nourishment, berms, hybrid structures, stormwater improvements and other measures). The vulnerability assessment will be integrated into the LCP materials to be submitted to the Coastal Commission.