California Coastal Commission concerned over Pacifica trail access

PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) -- The California Coastal Commission expressed grave concern over the lack of repairs to a coastal access trail in Pacifica that collapsed last December.

The Commission said today the public has been deprived for too long of beach access in Pacifica and want the trail from the cliff to the beach re-opened safely and as soon as possible.

The switchback cliffside trail leading to stairs to the beach along Esplanade Avenue in Pacifica is in the same area where apartment buildings were torn down because of problems with erosion.

In December part of the Beach access trail Collapsed.

"We love to walk the beach and now there's no access and we're of course upset about that," Pacifica resident Elena Lanz said.

Pacifica residents have been asking the property owner, Oceanaire Apartment Homes when it will be reopened, but have gotten what some describe as a runaround. Cement trucks shored up some of the path to prevent further erosion when the trail first crumbled, but now it's April.

"If they're spending money for the property renovation why isn't this being done?" former leasing agent Tyler Smith said.

Smith worked as a leasing agent for Oceanaire and said some tenants moved out in February when beach access wasn't restored.

An executive with the Irvine-based owner of Oceanaire, Trinity Property Consultants, say the trail will be rebuilt very similar to what it was, and that their construction team is submitting plans and working with the Coastal Commission to get approval.

But the Coastal Commission says that's not the case. They've only gotten preliminary drawings so far.

"We are getting increasingly concerned because we haven't gotten a response from the property owner in regards to timely repairs," Coastal Commission District Manager Nancy Cave said.

With the good weather season coming they say reopening the coastal access in Pacifica is a top priority. The property owner says if they get approval the work will only take a few weeks to complete.