Corte Madera climate plan draws heat from residents
Town delays approval to give public more time to comment
Corte Madera residents concerned about the town’s “climate action plan,” a document that lists projects to address flooding and wildfire, have more time to provide feedback.
Caltrans approved the town’s request to extend its funding deadline, allowing more time for public vetting of the plan, said Todd Cusimano, the town manager.
Originally, the town had to approve the plan by Feb. 28 to receive a $200,000 Caltrans grant. On Monday, the deadline was extended to the end of April, Cusimano said.
Resident Marta Sullivan said she, her husband and other residents understand climate change is a real threat, but they don’t agree with the town’s plan.
They started a petition calling for the town to postpone approval, study marsh erosion and implement wetlands restoration. The petitioners also request that instead of a levee, the town use tools such as aquatic vegetation and beaches around Marina Village and Mariner Cove, which are next to marshland. The petition has more 500 signatures.
“The adaptation plan includes several measures that will have immediate, huge, negative effects on the value of our properties … from building a levee and flood gate literally in our backyards to killing the marsh in our neighborhood, to abandoning our properties and retreating,” Sullivan said
Cusimano said approval of the plan, which took 18 months to develop, does not clear projects without further community input.
“It’s a living document to analyze where and how we are susceptible to sea level rise, flooding and also wildfires,” Cusimano said. “As a community we will be going through recommended options.
“These will continue to change, and when it is time to evaluate which projects to go forward with we will do so from both a financial and environmental standpoint.”
Mayor Eli Beckman said the public will have two more chances to provide feedback on the sea level rise portion of plan: an online flooding workshop at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 3; and an online hearing at a Town Council meeting on March 2 or 16, when the plan might be adopted.
Critics also claim the town was rushing to approve the project to get state funding. Beckman said the plan was never contingent on the Caltrans grant, but the state funding would help reimburse the town on costs to develop the plan.
The town contracted Adaptation International for $ 300,616, the San Francisco Estuary Institute for $89,000 and Mill Pacific Engineering Group for $10,000, according to a staff report last month.
The effort is mainly funded through Measure F sales tax revenue, which over 10 years is expected to bring in about $50 million to $60 million, Cusimano said.
Beckman said while he understands residents’ concerns and welcomes feedback, most of the points made by the petition are false. He published a Facebook post on Monday in an effort to counter rumors.
“The Council is not committed to implementing any of the ideas discussed in the plan, nor would it be committed to them by adopting the plan,” he wrote. “Furthermore, if adopted, the plan can still be amended at any time.”
Sullivan is aware of Beckman’s Facebook post but said he should have reached out earlier.
A flyer written by residents who oppose the plan suggests restoring marshland, raising homes and improving sea walls as better ways to protect homes. Sullivan said the plan contemplates a 15-foot-tall levee that will reduce property values.
Beckman said the plans to reinforce levees do not include a 15-foot barrier. He said the barrier would be closer to 8 feet, considering the neighborhoods are 7 feet above sea level.
Sullivan also said residents are concerned with the “retreat” section of the plan, saying the town could abandon the neighborhood in the future and then use Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to acquire the homes at a fraction of the current value.
“The immediate impact would make it unnecessarily harder to sell our homes and several legal professionals agreed with us on this,” Sullivan said. “We are advocating for it to be removed from the plan because it may not be applicable for several decades.”
Another resident, Joel Kleinfeld, said, “If we had known about the retreat plan and the levee, we would not have bought our home in Mariner Cove last year. We would have bought one of the houses we liked in San Anselmo and Novato instead.”
Beckman said there are no plans to let homes flood or to abandon neighborhoods.
“Why would we be going through this process of developing a plan to protect the families and homes in these very neighborhoods?” he wrote. “This claim seems to be based on flood zone designations. Corte Madera does not designate flood zones; FEMA does, and they do it based on the physical facts of sea level rise and land subsidence.”
Cusimano said retreating is what the town is working to avoid, but the town must plan for every situation. He said preparing to adapt to climate change is one of the town’s priorities.
“This the most important thing our town is facing, and moving forward we have to have a plan,” he said. “I wish we had one already started 15 years ago but we don’t. It’s a tough conversation but a necessary one. We really don’t want to retreat.”