"It's like squatting by the rich," said one commissioner.
"Some 55 Newport Beach homeowners who’ve extended their yards as much as 80 feet onto the public beach must return those areas to their natural state," reports Martin Wisckol.
A unanimous decision by the California Coastal Commission came as the result of the city of Newport Beach asking the state to intervene after years of unpermitted encroachment by the private property owners onto the public beach. "Those encroachments include lawns, shrubs, ground cover and lawn furniture, and the city’s proposal would have also allowed patios and seawalls," according to Wisckol.
"The commission agreed with its staff that the intrusions served as privatization of public beach…and was counter to the commission’s mission of ensuring public beach access," explains Wisckol.
The beach, known as Peninsula Point, is located just to the west of one of Southern California's most famous surfing locations—The Wedge.
FULL STORY: Coastal Commission orders Newport homeowners to remove yards from public beach
The Inequities of Beach Access
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Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
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San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
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Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research