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San Luis Obispo County Coastal Plan Recreational and Visitor Serving Policies

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San Luis Obispo County Coastal Plan Recreational and Visitor Serving Policies APPENDIX E San Luis Obispo County Coastal Plan Recreational and Visitor Serving Policies 60 - SLO North Coast Scenic Byway Corridor Plan CHAPTER 3: RECREATION & VISITOR-SERVING FACILITIES INTRODUCTION One of the primary goals of the California Coastal Act is to "... maximize public recreational opportunities in the coastal zone consistent with sound resource conservation principles and the constitutionally protected rights of private property owners." To achieve this goal, the Coastal Act requires local government to provide and protect recreational opportunities in the coastal zone through appropriate land use designations and management techniques in the Local Coastal Plan. Relationship to Coastal Act Policies To ensure that the Coastal Act goal of providing maximum recreational opportunities, the following Coastal Act policies must be addressed in the preparation of the Local Coastal Plan: 30212.5. Wherever appropriate and feasible, public facilities, including parking areas or facilities, shall be distributed throughout an area so as to mitigate against the impacts, social and otherwise, of overcrowding or overuse by the public of any single area. 30213. (Part) Lower cost visitor and recreational facilities ... shall be protected, encouraged, and, where feasible, provided. Developments providing public recreational opportunities are preferred. 30220. Coastal areas suited for water-oriented recreational activities that cannot readily be provided at inland water areas shall be protected for such uses. 30221. Oceanfront land suitable for recreational use shall be protected for recreational use and development unless present and foreseeable future demand for public or commercial recreational activities that could be accommodated on the property is already adequately provided for in the area. 30222. The use of private lands suitable for visitor-serving commercial recreational facilities designed to enhance public opportunities for coastal recreation shall have priority over private residential, general industrial, or general commercial development, but not over agriculture or coastal-dependent industry. 30223. Upland areas necessary to support coastal recreational uses shall be reserved for such uses, where feasible. 30240. (b) Development in areas adjacent to environmentally sensitive habitat areas and parks and recreation areas shall be sited and designed to prevent impacts which would significantly degrade such areas, and shall be compatible with the continuance of such habitat areas. 30250. (c) Visitor-serving facilities that cannot feasibly be located in existing developed areas shall be located in existing isolated developments or at selected points of attraction of visitors. COASTAL PLAN POLICIES 3-1 REC & VISITOR-SERVING FACILITIES REVISED JUNE 2004 The Coastal Act gives priority to coastal dependent activities. To distinguish between coastal-dependent and coastal-related recreational activities, the following definition will be used: Coastal-Dependent Recreation: Ocean swimming, ocean and pier fishing, boating, surfing, sunbathing, beach activities, clamming, nature study, and scuba diving. Coastal-Related Recreation: Picnicking, bicycling, beach volleyball, camping, jogging, walking, driving, and horseback riding. Non-coastal Dependent Recreation: Recreational activity such as baseball, basketball, bowling, golf, swimming (pool), tennis, and roller skating. Background Report The background report entitled Recreation and Visitor-Serving Facilities provides an inventory of public recreational areas within the coastal zone. In addition, existing and potential areas for private visitor-serving facilities were discussed. A summary of the information concerning public recreation areas and private visitor-serving opportunities is discussed by planning area. NORTH COAST PLANNING AREA One of the most popular recreational areas in the county, this planning area has three units of the State Park System: Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument, William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach, and San Simeon State Beach. Two of these units (the State Historical Monument and San Simeon State Beach) have adopted general development plans. Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument. The monument often receives over 2,000 paid visitors a day. The existing facilities (always considered temporary) are extremely inadequate for this level of use. The general development plan identifies a new visitor staging area containing a small auditorium, interpretive displays, concessions, restrooms and ticket offices. While the number of existing parking spaces (600) will not be increased because it is felt that the monument is at capacity, the lot will be landscaped and general circulation improved. Due to the large attendance at the castle, demand for tourist serving facilities and camping spaces in the North Coast Planning Area during peak use periods often exceeds supply. Development of the visitor staging area will help meet some of the immediate day use demands of castle visitors. An additional area reserved for private development adjacent to the staging area has been proposed. William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach. This eight-acre state beach provides day use only. Visitor-serving facilities will be provided in the proposed San Simeon Village development and staging area. San Simeon State Beach. The park unit serves as an important en route camping and day use facility for those traveling along Highway 1, especially visitors to Hearst Castle. Existing facilities include 25 picnic sites and 134 campsites, in addition to several vehicle turnouts and a boat launch. Additionally, an overflow overnight parking area is available to the public during the peak visitor use season on a one-night only basis. These facilities are inadequate to handle the over one million visitors annually using the park. REC & VISITOR-SERVING FACILITIES 3-2 COASTAL PLAN POLICIES REVISED JUNE 2004 The State Department of Parks and Recreation has adopted a new general development plan. Existing campsites will be renovated with an additional 225 sites to be provided in several phases. Other recommended development proposals include additional parking, group camping and day use facility, information signs, pedestrian trails, tree planting and erosion control measures. The purpose of the development plan is to increase visitor enjoyment opportunities and facilities and to change San Simeon State Beach from an en route campground to a destination point. Private visitor serving facilities are available at frequent locations within the North Coast Planning Area. Both San Simeon Acres and Cambria provide for existing and projected visitor-serving uses. Several rural locations, including Ragged Point and Harmony, provide isolated pockets of visitor-serving uses. In addition, in response to the unmet recreational demand, the Hearst Ranch (which includes most of the coastal land north of San Simeon Acres) has identified a number of potential areas for tourist recreation facilities. San Simeon Acres. San Simeon Acres is a small commercial village developed to serve the tourist/recreational users in the North Coast. Economic development in the village is entirely oriented to tourist serving facilities. The proximity of the community to Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument encourages further visitor serving development. Motels, restaurants and specialty shops are concentrated on the Highway 1 frontage roads, with multiple-family residential units available for employees of the area or retirement. Future development will continue to be oriented towards visitor serving facilities. Possible constraints on expansion of visitor serving uses within San Simeon Acres would include the future road capacity of Highway 1 and attendance levels at Hearst San Simeon Historical Monument. Cambria. As in San Simeon Acres, tourism is Cambria's major economic base. Commercial activities are concentrated in three main areas: East Village, West Village and Moonstone Beach. East Village serves as Cambria's principal shopping and service center. In addition, the historic character also attracts visitors that are stopping within the Cambria area. West Village is located adjacent to Highway 1 and is primarily oriented to tourist serving commercial uses, consisting of craft stores, gift shops and eating establishments. The final commercial area in Cambria is located along Moonstone Drive, a scenic road located between Highway 1 and the ocean, which is the major overnight accommodations center with restaurants, hotels and motels. In addition, the Land Use Element identifies a phased recreation/visitor-serving center for the central portion of the community known and the Fiscalini Ranch. Areas designated for commercial retail development would permit both visitor-serving and local resident shopping facilities. Possible limitations on expansion of tourist-serving facilities within Cambria include projected road capacity of Highway 1 and future service considerations. Under the existing Coastal Commission permit, the Cambria Service District must reserve 20% of the existing water supply for commercial and tourist-serving commercial uses. Rural Areas. Recreation opportunities may exist in portions of the rural areas in conjunction with agricultural uses. These may include low intensity hiking, riding, hunting camps, or intensive uses such as dude ranch or recreation vehicle parks. Two specific ranch holdings have identified and proposed visitor serving uses in conjunction with preserving remaining
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