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.

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 and the city to notify the commission of their submission. The bill would authorize a county to designate an individual local coastal program segment, as defined, as an urban multimodal community so long as the county, among other things, meets the same criteria and process requirements as a city. 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.

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.