Northern San Luis Obispo County Coastal Trail Master Plan

Introduction and Summary
landscape. No public parking shall be allowed along any road. This section shall not preclude
temporary access by Grantee (with prior consent from Grantor) for Highway 1 maintenance
purposes.
1.7. Organization of the Master Plan
This Master Plan document is organized into the following five chapters with supporting appendices:
1. Introduction: provides an overview of the background, goals, objectives and recommendations of the
Master Plan. It describes the organization of the document, and the public and stakeholder
participation process that was integral to its preparation.
2. Setting: provides an overview of the setting of the Master Plan’s Study Area. It summarizes existing
land uses; existing attractions and destinations; public lands and access easements; and existing and
planned bike facilities. In addition, this Chapter describes existing environmental resources present
within the trail corridor and analyses constraints associated with agricultural, biological, and cultural
resources, and geologic hazards. Lastly, this Chapter reports on existing economic resources
including a summary of services and amenities that support tourism.
3. Design Standards and Guidelines: summarizes standards and guidelines for pedestrian, bicycle and
trail facilities that may be part of the CCT network. Multiple public agencies own property within
the Study Area, including Caltrans, DPR, USFS, and BLM.
4. Master Plan Recommendations: describes the recommended improvements that will comprise the
Northern San Luis Obispo County network for the CCT. These recommendations reflect pertinent
design standards and guidelines; existing conditions, physical opportunities and constraints,
regulatory, legal, and guiding documents; and public and agency comments on the preliminary studies
and recommendations.
5. Action Plan: describes the typical implementation steps to take a CCT project from the Master Plan
through construction, along with general timeframes for project steps. It lists the recommended CCT
improvements segment by segment, summarized from Chapter 4. For each segment the list includes
the types of permits that may be required, the agencies and entities that would likely be parties to the
project, and the basic operation and management requirements. Potential project phases and
priorities are then described. Finally there is a more detailed description of the permits and approvals
that may be required for project implementation.
1.8. Summary of Recommendations
The Northern San Luis Obispo County coast is one of the most scenic and unspoiled coastlines in the world –
a national treasure. The land stewardship of the Hearst family has protected this region for generations, and
the acquisition or permanent protection of the land through the 2005 Hearst Ranch acquisitions by the State
of California formalized this legacy. As detailed in the Chapter 3 - Design Standards and Guidelines, the
acquisition did not entirely transfer the stewardship responsibility, but shared it between DPR, Caltrans, the
Hearst Corporation, and peripheral parties to the overlying easements. This specifically recognized the
objective of implementing the CCT to provide more opportunities for people to experience the coast in other
ways than by automobile.
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