General Plan/Local Coastal Plan Update Phase 2

Phase 2: Planning for Our Coast, Parks and Community

The City is updating its General Plan/Local Coastal Plan (GP/LCP) in phases, tackling both Pismo Beach's long-term vision and the issues facing the community today. Phase 2 builds on the foundation established in Phase 1 and will help the City:

Better understand coastal and natural hazards
Explore ways to prepare and adapt
Consider costs, benefits and tradeoffs
Plan for parks, recreation, trails and access
Strengthen community safety and resilience
Chart a roadmap for the future
Create a roadmap for the future

No decisions have been made. This is the beginning of a comprehensive engagement and planning process. Scientific and economic analysis, along with community input will help the City evaluate options and shape what comes next.

What are we planning for?

Phase 2 brings together several connected planning areas:

Coastal planning – Managing development, coastal resources and access
Safety – Preparing for coastal hazards, floodings, wildfires, earthquakes and other natural hazards
Parks, recreation and access – Planning for parks, facilities, programs, trails and coastal access
Zoning and implementation – Identifying how updated policies are put into practice

Your Input Matters

Pismo Beach's coast, parks, recreation and public spaces are an important part of the community's identity, economy and quality of life.

Technical studies can help the City understand where and how conditions may change, but community input helps identify what matters most and what should be considered as options for managing future change.

That's why community input will be gathered throughout the plan update process, with opportunities to learn, explore options and help shape the path forward.

Get Involved

Help Shape the Future of Your Neighborhood:Stop by Our First Neighborhood Workshop!

The City of Pismo Beach is exploring ways to prepare for changing coastal conditions while protecting our beaches, parks, public spaces and coastal access. Come chat with our team and learn what we’re discovering about potential coastal impacts, explore possible solutions and share your ideas for the future of your neighborhood.

Downtown Core & Pismo Marsh Workshop

Join the City for its first neighborhood workshop!

Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
Time: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Location: 163 Addie St., Pismo Beach (*parking lot at the end of Addie St., past the bollards)

No registration is needed. Stop by anytime! Snacks provided. Kids and dogs welcome.

More neighborhood workshops will be hosted through spring 2027.

Take the Community Survey

The City wants to understand what community members already know, what matters most and what people would like to better understand. The short survey will ask about:

Current awareness about the plan update process
Priorities for Pismo Beach's future
Places, programs and experiences of value
Topics to learn more about
Preferred ways to stay informed and involved

Responses will help the project team shape future engagement opportunities.

Community Workshop #1

The City of Pismo Beach hosted its first community workshop on Sept. 29, 2026, for the GP/LCP update to introduce the process and why this work matters as Pismo Beach plans for the future. The workshop started with a presentation from City staff to discuss:

What the City has learned so far about how conditions are changing along the coast based on technical studies
The different types of adaptation strategies coastal communities can use to prepare for change
What the timeline looks like for this process
How the community can get involved and share feedback with the City team

After the presentation, an open house with five stations gave attendees the opportunity to dive deeper into the different topics, speak directly with the project team, ask questions and share what matters most to them.

The full presentation and exhibit boards at each station are available to review.

Up next, the City will visit the seven areas identified in the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment to host smaller, neighborhood-focused discussions in November and December of this year.

Understanding Pismo Beach's Coastal Vulnerability

Pismo Beach sits on a stretch of California coast where bluffs, pocket beaches, a creek and a marsh all meet the ocean. That setting is part of what makes the city special, and it also means rising seas and coastal storms will reshape parts of the community over the coming decades.

To plan responsibly for that future, the City is relying on technical studies that document existing conditions, project how those conditions may change over time and identify what the community may need to prepare for. The findings will be weighed alongside community input as the City explores options and shapes policy. Additional resources and studies will be posted here as the plan update process continues.

About the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment

Pismo Beach is defined by its coastline, and that coastline is changing. Before the City can plan for what's coming, it needs a clear picture of what's actually at risk: which bluffs, beaches, streets and neighborhoods are most vulnerable. That's what the Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment provides, and it's the technical backbone of the Phase 2 plan update.

To understand what changing sea levels could mean for Pismo Beach, the City studied how erosion, flooding and rising groundwater could affect different parts of the coastline over time. The study looks at areas from Shell Beach and Sunset Palisades down to Downtown Core, Pismo Creek and Pismo Marsh. Using the State of California's latest sea level rise guidance, the study considers how conditions could change as sea levels rise by about 1.6 feet by 2050 to 2070, 3.3 feet by 2070 to 2100 and 4.9 feet after 2100.

What Did We Learn?

The assessment identified areas that may become more vulnerable as sea levels rise and coastal conditions change:

Bluffs may experience more erosion. In northern Pismo Beach, erosion could affect beach access stairs, bluff-top trails and parks, and over time parts of Ocean Boulevard, Seacliff Drive and Price Street.
Beaches may become more narrow. Some beaches could lose 20 to 40 feet of width, leaving less room for recreation and beach access.
Downtown may experience more coastal flooding. During certain conditions, waves overtopping the shoreline could reach the boardwalk, Pier Plaza and Addie Street more often over time.
Pismo Creek and Pismo Marsh face several sources of flooding. Higher tides, creek flows and rising groundwater could combine to increase flooding in these areas.
Existing seawalls may provide less protection over time. Most were built for current or past conditions and may not provide the same level of protection as sea levels rise.

What Does This Mean for Planning?

None of this is a prediction of a single fixed future. The assessment is a planning tool: it shows where the City should focus attention first, informs decisions about infrastructure investment and land use, and shapes the policies being developed through the General Plan/Local Coastal Plan update.

Read the full Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment