The City of Sausalito held its Community Workshop #2 for the Shoreline Adaptation Plan on Saturday, January 25th at the Bay Model. The capacity crowd of interested Sausalito community members heard from city staff and representatives from its consultant team, WRT. Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters and Sausalito Mayor Joan Cox were also in attendance.
The meeting agenda included a review of Sausalito’s draft Sea Level Rise (SLR) Vulnerability Summary, a presentation on SLR adaptation strategies from around the world, SLR adaptation tools and precedents, possible adaptation approaches for Sausalito, and discussion on what implementation could look like in the future. The presentation was followed by a breakout session where small groups of community members representing four of the adaptation zones were afforded the opportunity to ask questions and offer their opinions about preserving key resources such as buildings, public access, natural and cultural features.
The draft SLR Vulnerability Summary evaluates the potential impacts of sea level rise on critical community assets under three SLR scenarios: 2050 with 0.8 feet of sea level rise, 2050 with 0.8 feet of sea level rise combined with a 100-year storm surge, and 2100 with 6.6 feet of sea level rise. The assessment highlights the risks to infrastructure systems, including stormwater and sewer networks, roadways, bus and evacuation routes, habitat areas, community facilities, buildings, and piers. As stated in the draft Vulnerability Summary, the key findings “indicate that low-lying areas face increasing exposure to flooding and storm surge, with essential services such as transportation and utilities becoming more vulnerable under the higher-end scenarios. Habitat areas and community facilities are particularly sensitive, underscoring the need to balance natural resource preservation with infrastructure resilience. These insights provide a foundation for prioritizing adaptation.”
Determining an adaptation strategy involves defining the resilient edge, which is a shoreline zone designed and managed to withstand the impacts of rising sea levels. The resilient edge in Sausalito could be the current shoreline, Bridgeway Boulevard or in some cases, Gate 5 Road. Depending on location and the scenario, SLR adaptation within the resilient edge could be achieved through a combination of natural and engineered solutions like elevated structures, seawalls, raising properties, floating structures, and living breakwaters.
Community input from Saturday’s workshop will be combined with continued analysis to further refine Sausalito’s response to SLR adaptation and establish future actions and approaches. Community Workshop #3, described as an “Alternatives Review Open House,” will be held later this year.
If you missed last Saturday’s meeting and would like to review the presentation, read the draft SLR Vulnerability Summary, and view the discussion Boards, they are all online. The FHA will also be posting these materials on its website later this week. Please email Catie Thow Garcia, Resiliency & Sustainability Manager, City of Sausalito if you wish to be added to future email communications for this project.