The California Coastal Commission’s staff has recommended approval of the proposal to install permeable pilings next to Goleta Beach Pier in an effort to protect the park and minimize erosion and destruction caused by winter storms.

Goleta resident Ed de la Torre, a member of the Goleta Beach Working Group that proposed the permeable pilings solution to the county in 2004, is very pleased that the Coastal Commission has recommended approval, and is happy the project is finally on the commission’s agenda.

“This expansion of a recreational pier is the best possible solution to the problems that have plagued Goleta Beach for decades,” said de la Torre.

The Goleta Beach Working Group has been at odds with environmental groups who prefer “managed retreat,” which means Mother Nature be left alone, take her course and that no intervention be made to save the beach from erosion.

The approved project’s several rows of pilings would be covered in a widening of the existing pier, once optimum piling placement is determined.

The proposal also includes adding 500,000 cubic yards of sand along both sides of the pier in an effort to avoid downcoast erosion when the pilings slow the movement of sand away from the beach park.

The Beach and Sand Stabilization Project is on the commission’s agenda when it meets July 8 in San Luis Obispo. The County of Santa Barbara filed an application with the commission, detailing the proposal, in January of 2008.

“I am really glad we’re at the Coastal Commission with the proposal and that their staff has recommended going forward with the process,” said Janet Wolf, the county’s 2nd District Supervisor. Goleta Beach Park is in the 2nd District. “County staff has worked hard reviewing the project, done a very thorough job with the proposal and responding to concerns from the Coastal Commission’s staff.”

Wolf will be attending the hearing next week and speaking during public comment.

Darlene Chirman, a member of the county’s Park Commission, said she was pleased with what the commission’s staff recommended, including the conditions attached for approval.

“I feel the commission was prudent in addressing concerns and requesting more modeling, in incremental steps.

“When this came to the Park Commission, I actually voted to approve moving it forward. Neither managed retreat nor the county proposal seemed to be the answer, but the permeable pilings seemed preferable.”

The Surfrider Foundation’s local chapter and the Environmental Defense Center have opposed the plan, citing the fact that the proposal is experimental and would interfere with natural cycles at the beach and coastal areas south of the beach park, among other reasons.

The Coastal Commission’s staff agreed with the “experimental” label in its staff report that recommended approval.

Other objections included the prediction that the project “may induce downcoast erosion,” the pollution that would be created during the construction process, and the contention that a long enough window of time was not studied.

The two organizations submitted a “park reconfiguration alternative” to the Coastal Commission last November. This alternative criticized the methods and conclusions in the county’s proposal and suggested what they consider a preferable plan for dealing with erosion and destruction at the park.

That plan proposed relocating utilities and amenities as needed with changing conditions and removing the park ranger’s residence to accommodate relocation of some parking spaces.

The Coastal Commission wants additional modeling of the county’s concept, a management and monitoring plan including frequent monitoring of the process once pilings are in place, removal of existing rock revetments concurrent with or prior to the construction, biological monitoring before and during construction, and restoration plans for the region following construction.

The Coastal Commission meeting will take place in the chambers of the Board of Supervisors in San Luis Obispo beginning at 10 a.m. July 8.