The Gualala Streetscape plan that was approved by the Gualala community in May 2023 included native landscaping like in this picture. Now Mendocino Co. has stripped-out all planned landscaping. What remains is a sea of concrete and asphalt instead of a roadway that reflects our town's natural beauty.  

We need your help RIGHT NOW to reverse this decision and keep the project on schedule.

The No. 1 Goal stated in our Town Plan is “to preserve and enhance the rural, coastal character of the town of Gualala, to better integrate future development with the natural surroundings.” The plan -- which is also our Local Coastal Plan -- sets several specific requirements for low-profile, low-maintenance, native plants along the highway downtown.  The State has already funded the plantings as part of the Streetscape plan. Caltrans even provided the sketch above showing how it would look.

However, the county is refusing to sign a maintenance agreement covering the 0.4-mile streetscape area downtown. As you may know, the county already sweeps roads and trims trees on roadway in Gualala,. But it has stubbornly refused to add our Main Street to that routine, even though these plants require almost no maintenance or water. (Most grow wild in our area.)  The county has had 23 years to plan for maintenance since it approved the Town Plan!

As a result, Caltrans and the county have tentatively deleted all landscaping and plans to fill these areas with concrete, making our long-planned Streetscape look more like a freeway. If we don't act now, that's the way it will look forever.

YOU CAN REVERSE THIS BUT YOU MUST ACT NOW!!  We need everyone to PLEASE take 3 minutes to send an email to the County Planning Dept.  Please send a copy to Save Gualala so we can keep track of your responses. Simply say something like this (Be sure to include the CDP number in your subject line and/or email:

“CDP_2024-0040   I live, work, and shop in the Gualala area and want the County and Caltrans to restore landscaping to the Streetscape project now to avoid any further delays in this much-needed project. Landscaping is required in our Coastal Plan, and it’s critical for both aesthetic and economic reasons. “

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PLEASE sign with your name and town (Gualala, TSR, Anchor Bay, Pt. Arena, etc.)

PLEASE send your email RIGHT NOW to:

pbscommissions@mendocinocounty.gov
cc:  SaveGualala@gmail.com

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Save Gualala was created in 2020 to make sure the Streetscape project follows our Town Plan’s requirements. Volunteers are welcome!  If you’d like to help us or have questions, please send a separate email to SaveGualala@gmail.com . We'll update you when we know more.