Big Sur commenters urge more local notice and LUAC involvement in RCD restoration permit streamlining

During the hearing on the RCD's Environmental Enhancement Streamlining Program, Trey Cropp, a member of the Big Sur Land Use Advisory Committee, said the program's pace and batching of future, not-yet-proposed projects risked cutting neighbors and LUACs out of important local review for sensitive sites.

"When those actual projects are proposed, where is the public notice? Where is the local review? Where is the opportunity to raise concerns before work begins?" Cropp asked. He urged a middle ground: streamline the technical review but preserve LUAC notice and input for projects with local impacts. Staff responded that design approvals that require LUAC review would be routed to LUAC and that PCNs and annual records are available for public review and could be obtained by records request. Commissioners pressed staff to consider an interested-parties distribution list and other early-notice mechanisms; staff said those ideas were feasible and would be evaluated.

Implication: The EASP will proceed with the adopted programmatic conditions and a five-year pilot period, but staff and RCD will be expected to provide clearer early-notice paths — particularly for Big Sur and other visually or culturally sensitive coastal areas.