After two appeals, Gualala residents are unable to salvage downtown landscaping plans

Downtown Gualala, Calif., on April 6, 2023. Plans to enhance Highway 1 through the downtown area have been under discussion since the publication of the 2002 Gualala Town Plan. The proposed improvements include bike lanes, additional crosswalks, pedestrian safety islands and landscaping aimed at making Gualala more attractive as it transitions from a logging hub to a tourist destination. (Sarah Stierch via Bay City News)

MENDOCINO CO., 3/4/26 — County authorities have upheld plans to reduce landscaping in Gualala’s downtown enhancement program, rejecting an appeal that protested the reduction. The decision is a blow to residents who viewed the inclusion of native plants as mandatory to Gualala’s streetscape. With construction slated to start this year, the ruling virtually finalizes a decades-long process to design the town’s commercial area, a .4 mile-stretch bordering Highway 1.

A basic outline for the downtown improvement was first laid out in the Gualala Town Plan in 2002. The document is the certified Local Coastal Plan of the area, which provides a framework for development in Gualala.