Town of Corte Madera Climate Adaptation Plan

The Town of Corte Madera is embarking on an 18-month planning process to develop a Climate Adaptation Plan focused on enhancing the resilience of the Town. All of the information regarding this dynamic plan can be found at  www.CorteMaderaAdapts.org . Through this effort, with the collaboration of Town elected officials, staff, community organizations, agencies, and local residents, the Town of Corte Madera Climate Adaptation Plan will provide the necessary foundation and framework for us to make critical decisions that address the Town’s extensive range of climate change-related risks. By identifying key assets and resources that are being affected by climate change, we can develop solutions to make those resources and the people that depend on them more resilient. This plan will guide the future of the Town for the next 5, 10, and 20 years and beyond. The project is funded in part by a CalTrans Adaptation Grant and is expected to be completed in January of 2021.

 Click here to get more detailed information on the Climate Adaptation Plan  and previous meetings information. 

 Click here to see Workshop #2 powerpoint 

 Workshop #2 Video will be available after June 22 here. 

This story map provides an opportunity for community members to learn and provide comments about the current status and initial approaches to climate adaptation in Corte Madera with a focus on the potential alternative approaches for sea level rise and wildfires in Town.

Scroll or Hop: You can scroll down to review each section or you can navigate from section to another using the bar at the top of the page to jump to a topic you are most interested in.

Zoom in: You can zoom in on most of the images and maps by clicking on the image.

Survey Questions: Each survey question has specific multiple choice questions as well as an open ended question to allow broader input. There is no need to duplicate comments if you have already indicated an idea on a different section.

Resilience - Involving everyone so that our community can prepare for extreme weather events now and into the future.

Vision: One Town, One Region, Resilient Together

Project Goals: 

• Goal 1: Protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of all Town residents, visitors, and workers by focusing on preparedness and prevention.
• Goal 2: Incorporate resilience and equity into all of the Town’s plans, policies, and projects.
• Goal 3: Prioritize feasible, cost-effective, and nature-based actions that provide multiple benefits to the community
• Goal 4: Increase community awareness about the urgent need to take action and prepare for climate change.
• Goal 5: Bring the community, neighboring towns, and the region together to plan and fund actions to build resilience.

Scroll through the various focus points of the Adaptation Plan and zoom in on the map to explore more. Each number includes a brief overview of the focus areas for the plan and the primary vulnerabilities the plan will address.

The following information provides an overview and details about existing conditions and potential solutions for improving wildfire resilience in the hills with a focus on transportation access.

The town, region, and state are already doing a lot of work to mitigate the risk of wildfire in Corte Madera, yet there is more work to do. In order to ensure that our homes, infrastructure, businesses, and community members are safe and protected, the Town of Corte Madera Climate Change Adaptation Plan will build on the Town’s existing tools, policies, and programs that address the needs of our community under a changing climate. The story of wildfire is a regional one and adaptation will require regional understanding, planning, and partnerships.

A combination of design-focused improvements and policy-focused adaptation strategies will be required to improve accessibility and connectivity within and to/from the hillside neighborhoods.

Design-Focused Improvements

• Support other modes of transportation
• Rethink on-street parking
• Build pull-outs
• Enhance (widen) streets
• Create new connections

Policy Options

• Manage parking
• Encourage the use of e-bikes
• Support multi-modal access and wayfinding

The following table summarizes how the proposed design or policy changes will address some of the key concerns in the hillside neighborhoods.

Coastal flooding poses a significant hazard to Corte Madera residents, property owners, and businesses. With changes in natural drainage patterns, increases in impermeable surfaces, and rising sea levels driven by climate change, coastal flooding will increase in the future. Sea levels in San Francisco Bay have risen eight inches over the past century (California 4th Climate Assessment, 2018) and projected future sea level rise may be as much as 2 feet by mid-century and up to 7 feet by the 12 inches by 2030 to 60 inches by 2100 (OPC 2018). Rising sea levels and increased precipitation can exacerbate the extent of upstream flooding, worsen creek overflows due to backwater effects of elevated high tides, and can intensify wave action on coastal beaches and marshland increasing shoreline erosion and destroying sensitive wetland habitat.

• More frequent and intense (depth and duration) flooding from daily tides, king tides, and storm events.
• Flooding of major thoroughfares (US 101), schools, coastal neighborhoods, private homes, shopping areas, bike paths, protected wetland areas, and stormwater detention ponds.
• Land subsidence, due to settling of original fill in tidal lands, is increasing relative rate of sea level rise.
• Current levee system may be over-topped by ocean and/or storm surge in the mid-to-late century, or may fail sooner due to erosion from more frequent and intense wave action.

Build awareness: Outreach and education to homeowners in the area so that they better understand current and future risks.

Real Estate Disclosures and Other Policies: Potential policy options include building awareness by requiring disclosure of home locations in “sea level rise risk zones”, developing building requirements for homes in flood zones, increasing base flood elevation requirements and more.

Physical adaptation solutions: There is a range of options that are detailed below, including:

• “Green” infrastructure techniques (mimic natural processes and provide both flood protection and habitat benefits) 
• “Gray infrastructure” techniques (conventional structures such as levees and seawalls)
• Hybrid measures that combine “gray” and “green” solutions (for example a coarse beach on the bayward side of a levee)

The following section provides initial concepts about how the Town can address sea level rise over time. The primary focus is on Mariner Cove and Marina Village with some review of Corte Madera Marsh area that will require ongoing coordination with regional agencies.

 www.cortemaderaadapts.org