Restaurant Floodlights on Montara Beach Outshine Super Moon

This past weekend’s super moon was not only outcompeted by the coastal fog, it was also apparently outshined by floodlights on Montara Beach.

Midcoast Community Council (MCC) vice chair Lisa Ketcham writes on the agency’s website:

“The solstice full moon is overwhelmed by light pollution from La Costanera Restaurant shining out over Montara Beach, in this photo by Kevin Stokes. The roof-mounted floodlights and patio lighting were put up without required permits.  They do not comply with the Local Coastal Program Policy 8.18(a) which requires exterior lighting to be limited to the minimum necessary for safety, and placed such that direct rays are confined to that same parcel.”

According to Ketcham, the MCC reported lighting violations to the County and Coastal Commission in April 2011. Commission enforcement staff has written numerous letters to the restaurant owner about the violation to no avail. 

One letter penned Dec. 15, 2012, by Jo Ginsberg, enforcement analyst of the California Coastal Commission, outlines the alleged violations to the property owner, including “unpermitted erection and use of lighting spotlights illuminating the beach and the parking lot, and holiday or “twinkle” lights on the roof of the restaurant.”

The letter provides a deadline of Jan. 7, 2013, for the owner of La Costanera to confirm in writing and provide photographic evidence that all unpermitted lighting has been removed from the site.

But it appears from Stokes' photo taken Saturday, June 22, that there are still outstanding alleged Coastal Act violations on the La Costanera site.

If you think this is an issue and want to get involved, you can comment on the MCC Facebook page here. 

Lye Berryann wrote in:  “I guess it's one thing for CCC to write letters and request or demand compliance but where are their teeth? As usual, neither SMC nor CCC actually have a way to enforce the regulations so this kind of disregard continues.”

What do you think? Tell us in the comments.