Big Sur Land Use Plan Update
Since its certification by the California Coastal Commission in 1986, the award-winning Big Sur Land Use Plan (LUP) has helped to ensure the protection of the Big Sur Coast. Developed by the County of Monterey, Big Sur residents, and the Commission, the LUP implemented the then-radical ideas of acquiring hundreds of acres of critical viewshed lands, significantly downzoning residential buildout, and capping visitor serving units. For 35 years, the LUP has successfully protected the natural beauty of seventy miles of the California coast, a well-known national treasure.
Since 2013, the County of Monterey and the Big Sur Land Use Advisory Committee (LUAC) have been evaluating potential changes to the LUP. While changing conditions may warrant modest updates to the LUP, Keep Big Sur Wild believes that its core tenants are still valid and should remain strong and enforceable. As a result, Keep Big Sur Wild has been actively involved in the Planning Commission’s recent review of proposed changes to the LUP.
Alarmingly, the draft Update released in July 2021 would significantly undermine the LUPand its protections of the Big Sur Coast. Some of the most problematic changes include: ● Modifications to the critical viewshed policy to allow additional development in this critical area. ● Modifications to Plan prioritizations, such that the Plan’s current favoring of visual access of the coast over physical access and other development is weakened.● Eliminating mandatory policies in favor of non-mandatory “objectives.”● Allowing additional visitor serving units beyond those currently permitted. ● Allowing additional “special events” without adequately regulating noise and impacts on Highway capacity.● Proposals for “improvements” to Highway One that would negatively impact the wild and scenic character of the Big Sur Coast, while failing to address the current overuse issues.
We understand that a County subcommittee is currently reviewing the proposed LUP Update in light of these and other identified issues. Keep Big Sur Wild supports this current effort to ensure that both the spirit and the letter of the LUP is retained into the future.
Date:Thursday, April 30, 2026District:05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa…
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Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got til it's gone....
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot ....
So very glad to see this posted. I hope it encourages everyone to read the Land Use Plan, Support Keep Big Sur Wild and hold Transparency accountable.
It ensures that, there will be No paving
We have a Voice
There is another wave of development density in California that will destroy its natural beauty forever. Single family residential lots are now multiple family lots given new rulings that automatically approve additional dwelling units on any lot. Daily I sing the Joni Mitchell song quoted by two posts above. We who love California are facing its demise. How to handle this?
I can't think of a song off the top of my head, but The original Big Sur Land Use Plan should remain with its original intent and not be weakened in any way to encourage more overuse of the Big Sur area. We must fight to protect this fragile coastline.
1986 Certified Big Sur Land Use Plan - 2.2 Basic Objectives & Policies
2.2.2 - Coastal Scenic Resources - Recognizing the Big Sur Coast's outstanding scenic beauty and its great benefit to the people of the State and Nation, it is the County's objective to preserve these scenic resources in perpetuity and to promote, wherever possible, the restoration of the natural beauty of visually degraded areas.
The County's basic policy is to prohibit all future public or private development visible from Highway 1 and major public viewing areas.
We need to protect our wonderful environment. Our ancestors will left nothing of beauty. Thank God for Teddy Roosevelt and others who have saved some precious areas for us. Let’s do the same for future generations.
Just what I was wondering about. Thank you for this announcement following up from the formation of the LUP update subcommittee.
Don't mess with it, the 1986 plan mostly works, I've seen building encroachments, for example a home above Deetjen's by a former golf instructor, and in a few more places. Big Sur is now googled as the #1 tourist destination, beating Rt 66, so we must hang on to the beauty and sanity of LUP for everyone's sake. We are a nature destination, mainly, not a new commercial development. Soon there will be few locals and no near emergency services. Stop the madness!!! Keep Big Sur Wild.
Thank you for posting this Kate! Are there any actions an individual can take, a petition to be signed & circulated? A protest or sit in when the sub- committee meets? I’m sure there are many of us who strongly agree with the philosophy of Keeping Big Sur Wild, who haven’t been able to actively participate up until now. Please advise of any calls to action, to preserve the original intent of the BSLUP