By SDCN Editor
Oceanside, CA–International design firms gathered with community members to gain insight and feedback on potential sand retention solutions for Oceanside beaches
On August 29, the City of Oceanside, in partnership with GHD and Resilient Cities Catalyst, hosted its first of three public workshops for RE:BEACH Oceanside.
RE:BEACH is the city’s Coastal Resilience Competition, bringing together three teams from around the world to develop innovative sand retention pilot projects. Only one team, and their winning design, will be selected to move into final engineering and permitting at the conclusion of the competition. Over 200 members of the public were in attendance to meet with the Design Teams and view presentations on ideas to solve the challenges of shoreline erosion in Oceanside.
The Design Teams (Deltares/MVDRV, SCAPE/ESA, and International Coastal Management) each presented a variety of preliminary concepts for wider beaches and sand retention, ranging from offshore structures to nature-based solutions, based on their unique knowledge and previous successes around the globe.
“One of the best parts about the workshop was how freely the community was able to interact with the Design Teams about various aspects of the presented designs or processes,” Oceanside Coastal Zone Administrator Jayme Timberlake said. “Most people were there to learn and give feedback on the designs, but there were also technical folks in attendance to learn about solutions that they could bring back to their own jurisdictions.”
The city is inviting the public to provide feedback on each Design team’s initial concept proposals now through September 30. Each team will review and adapt their design concepts based on the received input.
At the next RE:BEACH public workshop on October 17, the three teams will present their refined concepts and the community will have a second opportunity to share input to help them further hone their designs. Teams will return for a third and final workshop on December 13, when they will present their final designs.
The RE:BEACH Jury, composed of leaders from across North County, experts in coastal dynamics and marine habitats, and local community group leaders, will vote to identify a “winner” or “preferred alternative,” which will be considered by the Oceanside City Council in January 2024.
“The unique and exciting component of RE:BEACH is that the City of Oceanside is committed to actualizing the winning design alternative,” said Sam Carter, Founding Principal of Resilient Cities Catalyst. “We’re excited for the outcome of this competition and feel secure in knowing we have the best design firms working to solve this urgent issue.”
“I am impressed with the public turnout at this first workshop and look forward to an open dialogue during the design competition,” said Karen Green, a professional marine biologist and jury member.
Green indicated during the jury selection process that she hopes to apply her expertise to help Oceanside select a design that protects sensitive biological resources, enhances ecosystem values, minimizes environmental impacts, and is forward-looking in terms of cost-effective maintenance and sustainability.
Each of the competition’s Design Teams must adhere to many requirements in their project designs to ensure beaches to the south of Oceanside are not negatively impacted; the design is realistic and fundable; and that they provide tertiary benefits like restored habitat, improved beach access and public amenities, or other community benefits. Designers have access to previous engineering efforts by the city to ensure their designs are technically viable in the geographic context. What sets this process apart from other, more traditional design competition processes, is its direct link to the engineering design and permitting phases for construction. The ultimate outcome of this process will be a shovel-ready sand retention pilot project to be continually managed under the city’s new Coastal Zone Administration.
The public can learn more about RE:BEACH and sign up for updates by visiting REBEACH.org.
