On Friday, January 13, 2017, The Coastal Commission agreed to hear the appeal of Shores residents who are energetically opposing the construction of a public restroom at the ocean end of Avenida del Sol.
“Our appeal to the California Coastal Commission speaks for itself,” says Jim Scanlon, Coronado native and Shores tower Manager.
Residents are asking the City and Commission to reevaluate the placement of the proposed (roughly $1 million) restroom facility, as they say the environmental elements cannot safely support a heavy structure on the sand, despite the city council certifying an environmental impact report (EIR) which approved a coastal permit and the exterior design of the project.
“I am opposed to the restroom because I’ve read reports that show that the restroom design is not adequate to handle our rising tides, nor can it handle flooding from the street side, which happens with each heavy rain storm,” says Tom Catlin, a resident of the Coronado Shores.
Many residents believe building the restroom plaza on the sand could be catastrophic.
“I’m against human waste on our beach and in our water. All it takes is one ‘small disaster’ to close our beach for an extended period of time,” says Catlin.
With more than three million visitors and residents using South Beach each year, there is a strong need for a public restroom facility in the area.
“We have reports from the Shores’ former property manager that there have been individuals trying to use the Shores’ restrooms or, worse yet, the landscape to relieve themselves,” says Capital Project Manager Bill Cecil. “Of concern, of course, was water quality issues of people using the ocean as a restroom, and in 2014 we installed a portable restroom near the proposed location and we have had between 350 and 900 uses per day when the restroom was in use.”
Catlin, as well as other residents, agree a restroom would be a great addition to the area, but suggest there are better locations for it, which include the Hotel Del’s parking lot or in the parking lot at the end of Avenida de Las Arenas.
As for why the City moved forward with plans to build at the proposed site, Bill Cecil, Capital Projects Manager, says the location met several criteria.
“The criteria we used for locating this was that the City had ownership of the property,” says Cecil. “There is public and private parking. The Hotel Del has the private parking and there is public parking on Avenida del Sol and Highway 75. There is infrastructure available at Avenida del Sol – we have water, sewer and power. It is most central to South Beach. It will also allow visitors to be able to see that there is a restroom at this location as it is visible from the beach. It adds convenient access for our staff to be able to service the building.”
As a recent storm moved through the area, flooding was prevalent. Coronado’s sandy beaches were saturated, tides were high, and streets and parking lots were flooded.
While some residents are asking that the restrooms be built in an adjacent parking lot, it appears several alternative locations are also prone to flooding.
“I am glad that virtually everyone agrees there is a need for a restroom,” says Coronado City Councilwoman Carrie Downey. “Unfortunately we cannot all agree on the best location.”
“Although several residents of the Shores would prefer it was placed on land that is owned by one or more of the Shores Homeowners, no one with authority to make such a request/offer from the Shores has ever approached the City.”
When the restroom complex was first proposed in 2012, former-Mayor Tanaka requested that the size of the restroom be reduced. The revised design includes three private restrooms, with one ADA restroom and storage facility, and two outdoor showers and sinks. According to Cecil, the City plans to raise the end of the street in an effort to shield it from rising tides.
“The City cannot complete the project until the appeal is resolved, but it plans to continue working on the project,” says Downey.
It’s unclear when the appeal will be heard, as it’s not listed on the Commission’s February agenda.
