A California Coastal Commission workshop on the draft Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Plan has been rescheduled for Nov. 18.
The workshop will occur on the second day of the commission’s three days of virtual meetings Nov. 17-19.
A planned Oct. 14 virtual workshop was canceled due to the out-of-control Alisal Fire, which sparked three days earlier and threatened Hollister Ranch and the rest of the Gaviota Coast.
The state recently released the draft plan spelling out details for the Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program.
State officials said the workshop would provide an opportunity for the members of the Coastal Commission and the public to express their ideas, concerns, comments and questions regarding the draft coastal access program, according to staff.
The decades-long access dispute — fought at administrative, legislative and legal levels — centers on 8½ miles of coastline at Hollister Ranch, a 14,400-acre residential subdivision with 136 parcels and a working cattle ranch west of Gaviota State Park.
Over the years, the Hollister Ranch Owners Association has spearheaded efforts to keep the beaches private.
The state released a conceptual proposal in June and the draft plan in September for the Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program (HRCAP).
The proposal spells out limited public access to the six beaches — Agua Caliente, Alegria, Sacate, Drake’s, Bulito and San Augustin, some of the state’s most coveted surf breaks.
The plan proposed allowing phased and managed access via shuttle, private vehicle, trail and bicycles for members of the public, along with Chumash cultural access.
For more information and to read the draft plan, click here.
The virtual workshop is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Nov. 18, and will include presentations from staff for the four state agencies — the California Coastal Commission, the State Coastal Conservancy, the State Lands Commission and State Parks — involved in the access plan.
To make a comment during the virtual workshop, speakers must sign up by clicking on the “submit speaker request button.” Written comments may be sent via email to hollister@coastal.ca.gov.
For a copy of the draft plan, go to the agenda by clicking here.
More information about the protracted push for access to Hollister Ranch coastline can be found here.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.