DATE: March 26, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: City Manager's Office
TITLE: AUTHORIZATION TO APPLY FOR A PUBLIC BEACH RESTORATION PROGRAM GRANT FOR THE RE:BEACH OCEANSIDE PROJECT
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the submittal of an application for a Public Beach Restoration Program grant to the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW), and authorize the City Manager, in consultation with the City Attorney, to negotiate and execute all agreements and amendments necessary to comply with the DBW grant requirements.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Many factors contribute to the state of Oceanside beaches, but the most significant is that the primary natural supply of coarse-gradation sand through the littoral drift is blocked by the Oceanside Harbor Breakwater, which supports the Camp Pendleton Boat Basin and City’s Small Craft Harbor (Harbor Complex). The sand that would otherwise be transported from the Santa Margarita River to Oceanside’s coastline is impounded up coast of the Oceanside Harbor Breakwater. Additional coastal management issues contributing to the eroded state of the beaches include the fact that Oceanside does not have any hard structures that retain sand, either natural (i.e., a natural reef) or unnatural (i.e., groins or jetties) south of the Oceanside Pier. Without varied topography, Oceanside sustains a straight coastline, exposed to all swell angles and seasons, which results in erodible beach conditions and sand that leaves the shoreline more rapidly than other North County coastal areas.
In 2020, the City conducted a year-long, preliminary engineering evaluation and Feasibility Study to identify deficiencies in current coastal management actions as well as to determine a suite of solutions to mitigate the effects of the Harbor Complex and lessen long-term beach erosion. The Feasibility Study (Phase 1) concluded that 1) a high-quality source of sand, coupled with a beach nourishment program, needed to be identified to provide additional beach nourishment opportunities, and 2) retention structure(s) are desirable as a means of retaining placed sand, since historical surveys and anecdotal data have shown that placed sand does not persist on many of Oceanside’s beaches.
In fall 2021, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for coastal engineering and consultant services to support the recommended approach in Phase 1. The RFP sought proposals from coastal engineering firms to complete the design phase (Phase 2) of the Sand Nourishment and Retention Pilot Project.
On January 25, 2023, the City Council approved a contract with GHD Inc. for the Phase 2 Project. The main tasks outlined in the Phase 2 scope include:
• Community and Stakeholder Engagement
• Baseline Monitoring Program
• Engineering, Analysis and Design
o Innovative, Preliminary Design through a Design Competition
o Final Design and Engineering
o Plans and Specifications
• Environmental Compliance and Permitting
To achieve an innovative sand retention concept that would provide the community with multiple benefits that extend beyond sustaining a sandy shoreline, the City hosted an eight-month long international public design competition, called RE:BEACH Oceanside Coastal Resilience Design Competition. Following the completion of the Design Competition, the City Council held a public workshop on January 31, 2024 to approve the Jury-recommended “Living Speed Bumps” design concept, which is comprised of sand retention elements (i.e., an artificial reef, two artificial headlands) and sand nourishment. At the workshop, the City Council also provided guidance and recommendations on next steps, and authorized City staff and GHD Inc., the prime consultant, to proceed with the subsequent stages of final design, engineering, and environmental compliance for the Phase 2 Sand Nourishment and Retention Pilot Project, now more popularly referred to as the RE:BEACH Oceanside Project (Project).
On November 20, 2024, the City Council approved Segment 1 as the siting location of the Project, with the two headlands expected to be constructed at Tyson Street Park and at Wisconsin Avenue, respectively, and an artificial reef constructed offshore between the two headlands.
The Public Beach Restoration Program grant being sought is funded under the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways, which assists in the planning and construction of engineered placement of sand on the beach or in the nearshore environment. This program can fund up to 85% of nonfederal project costs at nonstate beaches and is authorized in statute by Harbors and Navigation Code sections 69.5-69.9.
Through this grant, staff is requesting financial support for the sand nourishment portion of the construction phase of this Project, to be completed ahead of the construction of the sand retention elements. At present, approximately 900,000 cubic yards of sand are forecasted to be needed to infill the Project area, using material that is located offshore of the coast of Oceanside. The estimated total cost of sand nourishment for the Project is $25,000,000, and the total cost of the entire project is estimated at $55,000,000. The City is requesting that the Public Beach Restoration Program grant covers a portion of the nourishment costs, equaling $21,250,000. Part of the DBW application process requires a formal Resolution of support from the City Council, authorizing the submittal of the grant application.
FISCAL IMPACT
The estimated total cost of sand nourishment for the Project is $25,000,000, and the total construction cost of the entire Project, including the nourishment and sand retention elements, is estimated at $55,000,000. The City is requesting that the Public Beach Restoration Program grant cover 85% of the nourishment costs, equaling $21,250,000. If the City is successful at receiving the grant, the City will appropriate the remaining 15% of the sand nourishment costs of the Project as a match for the grant, which will be $3,750,000. Potential sources for the City’s match could include a combination of funding from the Beach Restoration account, the Sand Replacement Project account, Measure X, and/or the General Fund.
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
Does not apply.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: Jayme Timberlake, Coastal Zone Administrator
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Staff Report
2. Resolution