Rio Del Mar Beach homeowners are facing up to $4.7 million in fines for their continued refusal to allow public access to a 37-foot-wide, 786-foot-long beachside walkway that runs along the properties from 202-300 Beach Drive.
The California Coastal Commission (CCC) will meet Thursday to decide whether to levy fines against Rio del Mar Beach Island Homeowners’ Association, and property owners Gaurav Singh and Sonal Puri, who own the property at 200 Beach Drive.
Among the allegations by the CCC are that Sing and Puri worked with the homeowners association to impede public access to the walkway.
Most of the homes, owned by 27 homeowners, are in the upscale neighborhood and are used as vacation rentals.
During the meeting which will take place at the Dream Inn on Thursday, the commission will determine whether the property owners are willing to meet a long series of demands, including: removing walls, fences, signs, caution tape and plastic barricades put up to dissuade people from walking there. In some cases, this also includes removing additions such as patio extensions the homeowners build into the walkway.
This issue dates back to 1980, when the property owners applied for permits to build a revetment to protect the homes after storms damaged them. The commission granted the permit with the condition that public access to the walkway continue.
As the battle raged, property owners have said the walkway is their property, and claim that their privacy and safety is at risk with numerous people per day running, skateboarding and biking along the walkway.
But Santa Cruz County and state officials say the issue comes down to law which mandates public access to coastal areas. Officials say that, even if the walkway does belong to the property owners, that state law mandating coastal access supersedes that.
The situation came to a boil in 2018 when the County removed a fence that blocked public access on one end of the walkway and a brick wall that partially blocked the other. The property owners sued, and in October 2022, a Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the homeowners, and the commission said they would appeal.
When the commission meets, they can impose a lesser penalty, or, if the homeowners contest the cease and desist order, a greater one, said Coastal Commission spokeswoman Sarah Christie
“The ultimate determinations are going to be made by the commissioners themselves at the conclusion of the public hearing,” she said. “All that’s out there right now is the staff recommendation.”
