After a back-and-forth battle that has been active for over a year, the application by the City of Long Beach to the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to repair the dilapidated and decaying Naples seawalls was unanimously approved.

The century-old seawalls which line the iconic Long Beach neighborhood’s canals had $9.2M already reserved to repair them via Tideland funds—an essential repair according to a 2009 engineering study, which found that hundreds of homes are at risk for flooding if the walls are not fixed.

Environmentalists largely opposed the proposal since it requested that a buttress be installed on the sea side of the walls, potentially devastating eel grass habitats that are protected. The CCC had previously requested that the buttresses be installed from the land side but City officials worried about cost.

To offset the damage to the eel grass habitats, the City has agree to plant more eel grass throughout the Colorado Lagoon. Additionally—and despite residential disagreement—the sidewalk along East Sorrento Drive will be installed per the CCC.

The project, set forth in a proposed six-phase period, will cost $60 million. The project will go out to bid in early November and is set to close in December before construction begins in February of 2014.

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