Purpose and intent

(a) It is the city’s policy to preserve, protect, and whenever possible, restore the natural resources of the coastal zone. Special controls on development within an area in proximity to the shoreline are necessary to avoid permanent loss of valuable resources and foreclosure of management options, and to ensure that adequate public access is provided to beaches, recreation areas, and natural reserves, by dedication or other means. It is also the policy of the city to avoid or minimize damage to wetlands whenever prudent or feasible; to require that activities not dependent upon a wetland location be located at upland sites; and to allow losses of wetlands only when all practicable measures have been applied to reduce those losses that are unavoidable and in the public interest. (b) To ensure this policy is adequately implemented, no development, as defined in this chapter, may be undertaken within the special management area without special management area permit approval. Special management area permit approval is required prior to obtaining any other permits or approvals other than State land use district boundary amendments, zone changes, and amendments to the general plan and development plans, including the development plans entitled “sustainable communities plans.” )