Ta-da: New coastal access opened!
by Lennie Roberts

A sweet prelude to the coastal celebration on February 1 was a small ribbon cutting ceremony to open San Mateo County's newest coastal access. This access was required as a condition of approval of a coastal development permit for the house built on a small point of land about halfway between Bean Hollow Beach and Bolsa Point back in 1985.

Development permit required Offer to Dedicate
The permit issued to the landowners, Drs. Arnold and Miller, required dedication of a ten-foot wide vertical access easement running from the old Highway One roadbed in front of the property to the mean high tide line, plus a 25 foot wide easement that runs along the ocean front of the parcel from the mean high tide line to a line 25 feet inland from the edge of the ocean bluff.

In addition to the access dedication requirements, the permit also required a Deed Restriction to permanently protect historic public access that had accrued on the property. This property had been open and used by fishermen and other beach-goers for many years before the house was built.

Recently San Mateo County accepted several Offers to Dedicate, including the Arnold/Miller Offer. But the County, responding to pressure from the owners, had indicated it was not going to move forward on improving this access until the Coastal Trail is completed in this area, which is not expected in the foreseeable future.

Coastal Commission steps in to restore public access
Enter the Coastal Commission, Stage Left! Citing the Deed Restriction, which requires the owners to keep the access easements open and free of impediments to pedestrian use at all times, the Commission initiated an enforcement action to require removal of a solid wood fence that had been installed to block public access.

This is Image Number 6291 from www.CaliforniaCoastline.org. The Arnold-Miller home is on the right.

The Arnolds and the Millers have now complied with the access requirements. They have removed the fence and cleared a ten-foot wide footpath through the low coastal scrub to the top of the bluff. The owners will be keeping this access open until the County follows through on its plans for improvements and maintenance of the access whenever this stretch of the coastal trail is improved.

Next steps: Public easement across the adjacent property?
The neighbor to the south is now erecting a fence that blocks access across his property to the beach, along with numerous "No Trespassing" signs. The Coastal Commission staff is investigating the historic use of this beach, which was primarily used for obtaining bait.

The California Constitution guarantees the public the right to cross private property to gain access to waters of the state - including the Pacific Ocean. The public can obtain these rights through long-term use of a trail across private property, which can in some cases establish a permanent public easement. The Coastal Commission is investigating historic use of access to this beach to determine whether it qualifies for continued public access.


To see an aerial photo of this trail and beach, visit www.CaliforniaCoastline.org and enter Image Number 6291 (the Arnold-Miller is the home on the right).

If you or anyone you know may have used this access and beach (sometimes known as "the Gravel Quarry"), please contact Joy Chase in the Santa Cruz office of the Coastal Commission at (831) 427-4865.

Visiting the new coastal access
Currently there is no signage for this public access, but people who wish to visit this area can turn off Highway One just less than a mile south of Bean Hollow State Beach, at the small sign that says "10101 Cabrillo Highway." Turn right on the old paved section of Coast Highway and look for the gap in the wood fence about 100 yards down. If you visit, please respect the private property on either side of the access trail.