Transportation study flags Tiburon, Belvedere among 19 areas at risk from sea rise

Cracks are seen in the seawall along Beach Road, across from Cove Road, in Belvedere. The seawall has long been subject to erosion and crumbling, repaired as recently as 2019. The city is now planning a $3.8 million project to drive sheet piles under the sidewalks to further stabilize it. (via city of Belvedere)

Tiburon will take its first steps toward meeting state mandates to address sea-level rise following a study that identified both Belvedere and Tiburon among 19 vulnerable areas across Marin County.

Grace Ledwith, Tiburon’s climate action and sustainability coordinator, and Councilmember Alice Fredericks said the Town Council will vote tonight, Aug. 6, to accept a $593,877 grant from the California Ocean Protection Council. The grant will help the town meet mandates set by Senate Bill 272, which requires all coastal jurisdictions to develop and adopt Subregional Shoreline Adaptation Plans by 2034.

Tiburon’s planned vote follows the Transportation Authority of Marin board’s 12-0 decision June 26 to accept its sea-level rise study, which aims to address “critical challenges posed by rising sea levels and coastal flooding to Marin County’s transportation infrastructure.” Fredericks and Belvedere Councilmember Pat Carapiet both sit on the transportation authority board.

The study includes a voluntary adaptation policy that could provide additional funding to Tiburon and Belvedere. Jurisdictions that adopt the policy and align their sea-level rise goals with the transportation authority’s plan would gain access to Measure AA sales-tax funds for adaptation support, along with project development assistance, grant writing support and technical assistance.

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