Rules for Approving Development Projects

(a) No development may be approved unless the agency or the council has first found that the development is consistent with the objectives, policies, and guidelines set forth in this chapter and will not have any significant adverse environmental or ecological effect, except for situations in which the adverse effect is minimized to the extent practicable and clearly outweighed by public health and safety, or a compelling public interest. Adverse effects include, but are not limited to the potential cumulative impact of individual developments, each of which taken by itself may not have a significant adverse effect. Adverse effects may also involve development that would eliminate future planning options. (b) The agency or council shall seek to minimize, whenever reasonable: (1) Dredging, filling, or otherwise altering any bay, estuary, salt marsh, wetland, river mouth, slough, or lagoon, except for restoration purposes; (2) Any development that would reduce the size of any beach, coastal dune, or other area usable for public recreation; (3) Any development that would reduce or impose restrictions upon public access to tidal and submerged lands, beaches, coastal dunes, portions of rivers and streams, and the mean high tide line where there is no beach; (4) Any development that would substantially interfere with or detract from the line of sight toward the ocean from the State highway nearest the coast; (5) Any development that would adversely affect water quality, existing areas of open water free of visible structures, existing and potential fisheries and fishing grounds, coastal ecosystems, wildlife habitats, or potential or existing agricultural uses of land; and (6) Risk to development from sea level rise and other coastal hazards, which may be accomplished by siting habitable structures outside of the sea level rise exposure area if feasible, or if not feasible, adapting habitable structures within the sea level rise exposure area to accommodate sea level rise.