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<ns0:Id>20250AB__174099INT</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:Action>
<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-05</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:MeasureNum>1740</ns0:MeasureNum>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Zbur</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:Authors>
<ns0:Legislator>
<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Zbur</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title> An act to add Section 30610.55 to the Public Resources Code, relating to coastal resources. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>coastal resources</ns0:RelatingClause>
<ns0:GeneralSubject>
<ns0:Subject>Coastal resources: coastal development permits: urban multimodal communities: bicycle facilities.</ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>The California Coastal Act of 1976 requires, among other things, anyone wishing to perform or undertake any development in the coastal zone, except as specified, in addition to obtaining any other permit required by law from any local government or from any state, regional, or local agency, to obtain a coastal development permit from the California Coastal Commission or a local government, as provided. The act provides that a coastal development permit is not required for specified types of development in specified areas, as provided. </html:p>
<html:p> This bill would authorize a city to designate itself as an urban multimodal community if the city has (1) at least one high-quality transit corridor or transit priority area in the city, (2) adopted plans that include targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fatal and severe injury crashes, and (3) Class I,
Class II, or Class IV bicycle facilities, as defined. If a city meets the criteria to designate itself as an urban multimodal community, the bill would require documentation be submitted to the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation for review and would require the documentation to be posted on the city’s internet website. The bill would provide that a coastal development permit is not required for certain activities and types of development within an urban multimodal community, as specified.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would also provide that a coastal development permit is not required for the installation of Class I, Class II, or Class IV bicycle facilities, as defined, within the right-of-way of a state highway if the project does not eliminate existing public coastal accessways. </html:p>
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<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_3EC29B57-DD70-47D3-B8F5-651BF1BAADF3">
<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
<ns0:Content>
<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The California Coastal Act of 1976 (Division 20 (commencing with Section 30000) of the Public Resources Code; (coastal act)) was enacted to protect the state’s coastal resources while maximizing public access to and recreational use of the coast, consistent with public safety and environmental protection.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
At the time of the coastal act’s enactment, automobile travel and parking availability were the dominant factors determining coastal access in most parts of the state, and the coastal act’s implementation framework reflected those prevailing conditions.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In the decades since, some coastal cities have evolved into dense, urbanized communities with extensive multimodal transportation networks, including fixed-route transit, rail service, protected bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian facilities, micromobility services, and shared transportation options that collectively provide substantial and equitable access to the coast without reliance on private automobiles.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
These urbanized coastal jurisdictions have invested significant public resources to meet and exceed the coastal act’s mandate to maximize public access to the shoreline by facilitating nonautomobile circulation, consistent with Sections 30210 and 30252 of the Public Resources Code.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Despite these advancements, current permitting practices of the California Coastal Commission frequently require coastal
development permits for routine operational and management activities and minor improvement projects that do not result in the reduction of public coastal access or in significant land use intensification. These activities include, but are not limited to, parking rate adjustments, parking time limits, residential preferential parking programs, installation of accessibility improvements, minor improvements to existing buildings, temporary community events, and transportation safety upgrades within the public right-of-way.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Applying full coastal development permit requirements to these operational activities and minor improvement projects imposes substantial administrative delays and costs on local governments without producing commensurate environmental, access, or resource-protection benefits.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(7)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
These delays and costs undermine the coastal act’s stated intent that state and
local agencies cooperate to implement coordinated planning and development for mutually beneficial uses, as set forth in Section 30001.5 of the Public Resources Code.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(8)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
California law has increasingly prioritized the reduction of vehicle miles traveled, greenhouse gas emissions, and automobile dependency to protect public health, advance climate resilience, and reduce adverse environmental impacts associated with transportation.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(9)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Rigid, parking-centric access assumptions embedded in legacy coastal permitting practices can impede statewide climate, transportation, and land use policies and discourage the use of transit, walking, and bicycling as primary or significant modes of coastal access.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(10)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The provision of housing within urbanized, transit-oriented coastal communities that have made substantial
investments in public transit and active transportation, and that have adopted and are actively implementing sustainability, climate action, or mobility strategies, supports statewide goals related to housing affordability, climate resilience, reduced vehicle miles traveled, and equitable access to coastal resources.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(11)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Section 30253 of the Public Resources Code expressly requires that new development minimize energy consumption and vehicle miles traveled, recognizing that transportation-related emissions pose a significant threat to coastal resources, public health, and climate resilience.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(12)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Many coastal cities are simultaneously confronting economic recovery challenges, including prolonged commercial vacancies, fiscal strain on public parking and infrastructure systems, and the need for timely tenant improvements and temporary activations to revitalize coastal business
districts.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(13)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
California is preparing to host globally significant events, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will require flexible, multimodal, and efficiently managed coastal access systems capable of accommodating large visitor volumes without exacerbating congestion or environmental impacts.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(14)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Certain urbanized coastal jurisdictions have already achieved the coastal act’s access objectives through comprehensive multimodal transportation networks, have adopted climate action plans and transportation safety strategies, and are well positioned to manage routine coastal operations at the local level.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
It is the intent of the Legislature to do both of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Modernize coastal zone
governance by recognizing and empowering these urbanized, transit-oriented communities to administer specified operational and management activities and minor improvement projects without the need for individual coastal development permits, while otherwise preserving the California Coastal Commission’s authority over activities that constitute physical development and pose potential impacts to coastal resources.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Advance the purposes of the coastal act by aligning its implementation with contemporary transportation systems, climate imperatives, housing needs, and economic realities, ensuring that California’s coast remains accessible, resilient, and equitably enjoyed by all residents and visitors. It is not the intent of the Legislature that the act adding this section diminish environmental protections, reduce public access to the coast, or limit the California Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction over development that would adversely affect
coastal resources.
</html:p>
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<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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Section 30610.55 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Public Resources Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:Num>30610.55.</ns0:Num>
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<html:p>
(a)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For purposes of this section, a city qualifies as an urban multimodal community if it meets all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
There is at least one high-quality transit corridor or transit priority area in the city that has stops or stations located within the coastal access zone.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Has adopted plans that include targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and fatal and severe injury crashes, including a climate action and local road safety plan.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Maintains Class I, Class II, or Class IV bicycle facilities, as described in Chapter 1000 of the 7th edition of the Highway Design Manual by the
Department of Transportation, in the coastal access zone.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A city that meets the criteria of paragraph (1) may designate itself as an urban multimodal community by submitting documentation demonstrating compliance with the criteria of paragraph (1) to the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and shall post that documentation on the city’s internet website.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Documentation submitted pursuant to this paragraph shall be presumed valid and sufficient upon submission.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Within 30 days of submission, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation may review the submitted documentation solely for completeness and consistency with the criteria of paragraph (1).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(D)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
If the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation determines
that the submitted documentation is incomplete or does not demonstrate compliance with paragraph (1), it shall notify the city in writing within the 30-day review period and identify the specific deficiencies.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(E)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
If the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation determines that the submitted documentation demonstrates compliance with paragraph (1), it shall notify the city within the 30-day review period of the approval of the city’s designation as an urban multimodal community.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(F)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
If the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation does not provide written notice of approval or deficiencies within the 30-day review period, the city’s designation as an urban multimodal community shall be deemed approved.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A city shall recertify itself as an urban multimodal community every three years from the date of approval
pursuant to subparagraphs (E) or (F) by updating and resubmitting the documentation required pursuant to paragraph (2).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A city’s status as an urban multimodal community shall be considered one of the city’s ordinances, policies, and standards for purposes of subdivision (o) of Section 65589.5 of the Government Code.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(b)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The following activities and types of development within an urban multimodal community, as qualified pursuant to subdivision (a), shall be exempt from the permit requirements of this chapter:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A local government and public agency establishing, altering, eliminating, or otherwise managing regulations and requirements related to parking, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Addition or removal of parking spaces
by public or private entities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Establishing maximum and minimum parking ratios.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(C)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Determination of onstreet and offstreet parking rates.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(D)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Management of pricing structures, payment methods, payment access and revenue control systems, parking meters, time limits, and residential preferential parking zones.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(E)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Installation of accessible walkways consistent with requirements under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.), pay stations, signage, and electric vehicle chargers in public facilities.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A local government or public agency making roadway or public right-of-way improvements that support multimodal transportation, including, but not limited
to, altering the use of portions of the roadway or public right-of-way, and adding bicycle lanes, bus lanes, day lighting zones, curb extensions, sidewalk expansions and improvements, pedestrian signals, transit priority infrastructure, and vision-zero focused improvements.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A person hosting short-term or recurring community events that do not permanently alter land use or access, including the addition of structures for temporary events that promote visitor-serving commercial, cultural, or recreational activities, and are not located on, or within a 100-foot radius of, a wetland, or on, or within, an environmentally sensitive habitat area.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A person making interior or exterior renovations and changes of use of existing buildings that do not expand the footprint more than 150 percent of the existing footprint. Interior or exterior renovations and changes of use includes
combining existing buildings and dividing existing buildings.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Any aspect of a housing development project, as defined in Section 65589.5 of the Government Code, allowable under state and local law, including any permits, approvals, or public improvements required for the housing development project, if the housing development project meets all of the following conditions:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(A)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The project site is located within an area designated for multiunit housing in the local government’s general plan land use element, specific plan, or zoning ordinance.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(B)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
The project is not located in the following areas:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(i)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Between the sea and the first public road paralleling the sea or within 300 feet of the inland extent of any beach or of the mean high tideline of the
sea where there is no beach, whichever is the greater distance.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(ii)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
On, or within a 100-foot radius of, a wetland.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(iii)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
On, or within, an environmentally sensitive habitat area.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A person engaging in outdoor dining that meets all other relevant local and state requirements.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(c)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
In a city with multiple certified local coastal programs, each local coastal program shall separately and independently meet the urban multimodal community criteria under paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
A city may qualify as an urban multimodal community pursuant to this subdivision even if only portions of the city meet the criteria set forth in this subdivision, provided that
the activities exempted pursuant to subdivision (b) occur only within the geographic areas that satisfy those criteria.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(d)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Notwithstanding any other provision in this division, a coastal development permit shall not be required pursuant to this chapter for the installation of Class I, Class II, or Class IV bicycle facilities, as described in Chapter 1000 of the 7th edition of the Highway Design Manual by the Department of Transportation, including associated roadway reconfiguration and the removal or relocation of onstreet parking, within the right-of-way of a state highway, if the project does not eliminate existing public coastal accessways.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
Activities described in subdivision (b) and (d) shall be subject to approval and regulation by the local government in accordance with applicable state and local laws, and shall not require review or approval by the commission.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(f)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
</html:p>
<html:p>
(1)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Coastal access zone” means the “Coastal zone” as defined by Section 30103 and the area within one-quarter mile of the coastal zone.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(2)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“High-quality transit corridor” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 21155.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(3)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Outdoor dining” means the service or consumption of food or beverages by patrons in any area that is outside the fully enclosed interior of a building, including, but not limited to, patios, courtyards, decks, terraces, sidewalks, curbside parking lanes, parklets, and similar open-air outdoor seating areas.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(4)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Person” has the same meaning as defined in Section 30111.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(5)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Temporary events” means events lasting 12 months or less.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(6)
<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
“Transit priority area” has the same meaning as defined in Section 21099.
</html:p>
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