Rincon Trail EIR Released

In November at the las public hearing about the proposed Rincon Trail to be constructed above Bates Beach, there was a major protest by members from the hang glider community.

The latest version of the trail revised the path slightly away from being over the nude beach area, but it will remove the top half of the 300-ft cliffs overlooking the beach (some 130,000 cubic feet of dirt). The glider enthusiasts claimed this change will drastically reduce the amount of wind updraft from the ocean and make it impossible to safely operate their gliders.

The Planning Commission authorized an Environmental Impact Report to study the wind, soil and affected bird patterns, and the report was released today..

As feared, the EIR confirmed ocean winds will be cut by 30%, but it concludes no alternative path for the Trail is preferable. The paraglider hobbyists are already loudly complaining, and they hope to kill the entire plan at the net scheduled hearing on April 13. The EIR affects the nude section only in that draining from the new Trail will empty on or near our nudist area, thus perhaps causing some beach erosion, how much is unclear.

We will be attending the hearing to listen and report back to you what the city planners decide.