HISTORY

In 1966…

there was a catastrophic landslide on the cul-de-sac at the end of La Rambla which destroyed four homes. Even today, there are remnants of these homes visible on the ocean side slope of the bluff.

In 1998…

another landslide, resulting from a rotational failure (said to be endemic to this bluff), damaged an already developed property on the bluff, requiring the construction of an expensive and unsightly retention wall. In 2010, part of the wall cracked and slid down the ocean side of the bluff. The photo to the left shows the aftermath of the 2010 failure, and evidences the ongoing instability of the bluff, even when stabilization efforts are attempted.

* Photo taken in 2010 showing slope failure as a result of urbanization of adverse geologic features and processes.

The California Coastal Commission…

the agency created to enforce the Coastal Act, has recognized that all seven of these lots are within the landslide area… For years these lots have been viewed as unbuildable.

The Bluff Top…

and area of that canyon continue to be unstable. Any development would require extensive engineering and installation of numerous caissons. In past efforts to develop this property, the Coastal Commission criticized the proposed extensive use of caissons to deal with the geologic hazard suggesting that the caisson array itself would be so extensive that it would turn a natural bluff into an artificial landform. This is of course, counter to all objectives of the Coastal Commission.