Request for Proposals
Comprehensive Plan Update
Goal 18: Beaches and Dunes
1.2: Goal 18: Beaches and Dunes in Oregon and Clatsop County
Beaches and dunes are the physical environments at the very edge of the sea. These are highly dynamic places; sand and gravel are moved by wind, waves, and currents. They serve as buffers between the energy of the ocean and the land. Beaches and dunes also provide the public with recreational opportunities and draw scores of visitors to Oregon, and more specifically, Clatsop County each year.
Statewide Planning Goal 18 focuses on conserving and protecting Oregon's beach and dune resources, and on recognizing and reducing exposure to hazards in this dynamic, sometimes quickly changing environment. Goal 18 is central to the work of coastal communities in addressing the impacts of coastal hazards and climate change in areas along the ocean shore.
Clatsop County is required to inventory beaches and dunes and describe the stability, movement, groundwater resources, hazards and values of the beach, dune, and interdune areas. The County must then apply appropriate beach and dune policies for use in these areas. Clatsop County’s Goal 18 was originally adopted in 1980 and has not been holistically reviewed or updated since that time. As considerable technological changes have occurred, particularly with regard to offshore energy sources which may involve cable landings or other impacts to Clatsop County’s beaches and dunes, it is imperative that Goal 18 be comprehensively reviewed and updated.
Statewide Planning Goal 18 includes some requirements that are of particular importance:
Prohibition Areas
Statewide Planning Goal 18 prohibits development on the most sensitive and hazardous landforms in the beach and dune environment, including beaches, active foredunes, and other dune areas subject to severe erosion or flooding. This requirement has been instrumental in preventing inappropriate development on these critical landforms.
Shoreline Armoring
The goal limits the placement of beachfront protective structures (i.e. shoreline armoring such as riprap and seawalls) to those areas where development existed prior to 1977. This policy effectively places a cap on the amount of ocean shore that may be hardened, and thus limits the cumulative impacts of such hardening.
Shoreline armoring can cause scouring and lowering of the beach profile, which can result over time in the loss of access to Clatsop County’s public beaches. New development must account for shoreline erosion through non-structural approaches (e.g. increased setbacks). In the face of increased ocean erosion occurring in conjunction with climate change and sea level rise, limiting hard structures and allowing natural shoreline migration is a critical policy tool for conserving and maintaining the County’s ocean beaches.
In 2022, the Land Conservation and Development Commission approved new rules to allow local jurisdictions to apply for Goal 18 exceptions in order to install protective armoring for public roads threatened by coastal erosion. These rules would need to be incorporated into Clatsop County’s Goal 18 and Land and Water Development and Use Code.
Dune Grading
Statewide Planning Goal 18 specifies detailed requirements for foredune grading (lowering of the dunes for views). Such grading is permitted in limited circumstances in association with existing development. It must be based on a specific dune system management plan that prescribes standards for maintaining flood protection, maintaining overall system sand supply, and post-grading sand stabilization (e.g. planting of beach grass). There are currently six official dune management plans in place in Oregon, none of which are in unincorporated Clatsop County.
Ocean Shore Regulation
Oregon's ocean beaches are managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) which has an extensive permitting program for shoreline protection under ORS 390.605 – 390.770, also known as the "Beach Bill." OPRD regulates activities affecting the ocean shorelands west of the statutory vegetation line or the line of established vegetation, whichever is most landward. This includes beachfront protective structures, stairways, walkways, or other structures that encroach on the public beach. OPRD has incorporated the Oregon Department of State Lands authority to regulate removal and fill activities along the ocean shore under its permit program. Permitted activities must be consistent with the Statewide Planning Goals (especially Goal 18), local comprehensive plans, and the OPRD Ocean Shore Management Plan. As Clatsop County’s Goal 18 has not been holistically reviewed or updated since its adoption in 1980, a component of this RFP will include reviewing Clatsop County’s current Goal 18 with the above documents and ORS to determine consistency with current legislation, regulations, and standards.