As such, coastal hazards associated with sea-level rise could have significant impacts on unincorporated Ventura County. Recently, the County was awarded a Local Coastal Program Local Assistance Grant from the California Coastal Commission and the California Coastal Conservancy to draft regulatory and adaptive strategies in response to sea-level rise hazards. The goal for the VC Resilient Coastal Adaptation Project (VC Resilient) is to develop a balanced and forward-thinking response to sea-level rise based on informative and accurate sea-level rise projections that span well into the future. Click HERE to access the draft Vulnerability Assessment.

More specifically, the primary goals of the VC Resilient project are to:

• Assess vulnerabilities and the adaptive capacity of Ventura County's coastline.
• Develop long-range land use strategies that can be used to respond to sea level rise hazards and reduce risks along the coastline.
• Effectively communicate with the public to gather input and understand the risks associated with sea level rise.

The project will include analysis of various sea level rise projections in order to use the best information available. Links to two sea level rise models with projections are provided below:

• The Coastal Resilience Model
• USGS CoSMos 3.0

The Planning Division is responsible for administration of the County’s General Plan, Coastal Area Plan, and Coastal Zoning Ordinance. Currently, the Planning Division in conjunction with the Public Works Department Watershed Protection District and Land Development Services Section review new projects for potential hazards associated with sea-level rise and storm events, but specific County policies or regulations pertaining to sea-level rise are needed.
It is anticipated that the policies resulting from VC Resilient will provide a higher level of certainty for County staff, the Coastal Commission, landowners and businesses when processing land use and development permits.

Click here to subscribe to the VC Resilient stakeholder list and receive notifications about the project.

What's New?

The draft Vulnerability Assessment report is completed, and public input is welcome. The report provides an evaluation of which coastal resources in the unincorporated area could be affected by sea level rise through year 2100. Through an understanding of coastal hazards, we can begin to plan for a future when sea level rise impacts are more severe.

The public comment and review period will be open from May 10 to June 10, 2018. The draft report can be accessed through the following links:

• VC Resilient Vulnerability Assessment - Report Body
  
  
• VC Resilient Vulnerability Assessment - Appendix A - Sector Profiles - Part 1
  
  
• VC Resilient Vulnerability Assessment - Appendix A - Sector Profiles - Part 2
  
  
• VC Resilient Vulnerability Assessment - Appendix B - Vulnerability Results Table
  
  
• VC Resilient Vulnerability Assessment - Appendix C - Social Vulnerability
  
  
• VC Resilient Vulnerability Assessment - Appendix D  - Natural Resources Maps

A New GIS Story Map is live! Look through the Story Map to learn more about VC Resilient and to interactively view the sea level rise maps online.

Two public workshops were held to review and discuss the draft Vulnerability Assessment report on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. Please click on the links below to access the PowerPoint slideshows. The "Frequently Asked Questions" handout is available by clicking here.

Workshop #1 (North-and Central Coast Focused);
PowerPoint Slideshow

Workshop #2 (South-Coast Focused);
PowerPoint Slideshow

Comments regarding the draft Vulnerability Assessment Report, or any questions regarding this project, should be directed to the case planner, Aaron Engstrom at (805) 654-2936, or send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Existing Local Coastal Plan

See the existing Ventura County Planning documents for the LCP here:

Coastal Maps

Please check back to this website to find the latest information.