PHILO-GREENWOOD BEACH PUBLIC ACCESS AND RIVER RESTORATION CONCEPT PLAN
INTRODUCTION
Below the Philo-Greenwood Road bridge is the Philo-Greenwood Beach, or Philo Beach, or as once called many years ago, River’s Rest. For generations of Anderson Valley residents and visitors to Hendy Woods State Park and Anderson Valley, the Philo-Greenwood Beach has been used for sunbathing, picnicking, water play, swimming, and launching canoes, kayaks, and boats to travel down the Navarro River. The Anderson Valley Land Trust (AVLT) has taken the lead and garnered initial support in conducting this community-based planning and design project for public access amenities and riparian restoration along the river’s edge at the Philo-Greenwood Beach.
Follow the links below for more information:
§ FAQs
§ Supporting Agencies and Organizations
BACKGROUND
Parking to access the Philo-Greenwood Beach has historically occurred on an informal basis along the shoulders of the Philo-Greenwood Road and around the entrance to Hendy Woods State Park.
In 2012 the AVLT studied the Navarro River and its recreational use from Hendy Woods State Park downstream to the Navarro Beach to assess the practicality of defining a water trail along all or part of the river. This was done with technical assistance from the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program and, in partnership with the Anderson Valley Community Services District, through a grant from California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways. The goal was to identify the feasibility of a water trail to accommodate non-motorized boating use, such as kayaks and canoes, and better inform the general public about river access, safety, and responsible use. A PDF of the Water Trail study can be fund here. NRWT Report_9-30-12.pdf
One aspect of the study was documenting the use levels and access conditions at various points along the Navarro River used by the general public. These included the Philo-Greenwood Beach. Field observations found that up to 175 people use the beach throughout a busy day (versus at one time) during the prime summer recreation season. However, more recent surveys show that use has increased over the past 10 years with up to 150 people using the beach area at one time.
Almost at the same time, in 2013 Mendocino County determined the need to replace the Philo-Greenwood Road bridge across the Navarro River. Officially this is referenced as the “Philo-Greenwood Road over Navarro River Bridge (10C-0032) Rehabilitation and Widening Project“. Community meetings were held and preliminary designs were prepared for an expanded bridge structure that would mimic the existing arched bridge architecture. The County has indicated that a portion of the Mendocino Redwood Company property near the bridge would serve as the construction staging area. In terms of future public access, the potential synergy between use as a construction staging area and post-construction use as a public access staging area is clear.
FAQS
Who owns the beach? The beach area and access to it are entirely on property owned by the Mendocino Redwood Company. In order to design and make public access improvements, maintain those improvements, and implement river restoration activities, the property will need to be transferred to a responsible public organization. The Mendocino Redwood Company has expressed interest in facilitating that transition.
How long has the beach been used? Well, about 5,000 years as the Pomo once lived nearby. In modern day times, the beach has been Anderson Valley’s swimming hole for as long as any local alive can remember.
How many people use the beach? Lots. It is common to see people there . . . summer or winter . . . swimming, sunning, rock skipping, picnicking, fishing, launching watercraft to float or boat downstream. Off and on for over 10 years use surveys have been conducted. It has been documented that as many as 150 or more people visit the beach area on a warm summer weekend day. And there are events - about that many used the beach for the 2023 Philo Yacht Club races. It is not uncommon to see more than 50 cars parked along the Philo-Greenwood Road at one time. It is common to see cars there at any time during the day.
When will the Philo-Greenwood Road bridge be reconstructed? After the Philo-Greenwood Road bridge is reconstructed. Mendocino County anticipates that construction will span 2 years to begin in 2026. For safety purposes the beach area will be closed during construction.
What is the relationship between bridge reconstruction and the beach and river restoration improvements? These are two separate projects. However, Mendocino County is aware of the need for public access improvements to the beach and restoration along the banks of the Navarro River and is coordinating with the Anderson Valley Land Trust for using much of the same project area, including the construction staging areas needed for the bridge reconstruction, to be transitioned to public parking and walking trails leading to beaches.
When will a Concept Plan be implemented? After the Philo-Greenwood bridge reconstruction project is completed by Mendocino County and when funding is identified and secured for land acquisition, detailed project design, environmental review, construction, and annual operations and management. This will involve many steps and funding sources. Construction of the beach access and river restoration improvements will likely not occur until about 2029.
PARTICIPATING AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS
The following representatives, agencies and organizations are participating with the AVLT in the planning for the Philo-Greenwood Beach Public Access and River Restoration Program.
§ The office of Representative Jared Huffman, US Congressman California 2nd District
§ Mendocino Board of Supervisors
· Ted Williams, Mendocino County Supervisor, 5th District
· Glen McGourty, Mendocino County Supervisor, 1st District
§ Mendocino County, Department of Transportation
§ Mendocino Redwood Company LLC
§ California State Parks, Sonoma-Mendocino Coast District
§ Anderson Valley Community Service District
§ Anderson Valley Fire Department
§ Hendy Woods Community
§ Navarro River Resource Center
OVERALL BENEFITS
Providing public access amenities and restoring the Navarro River’s edge along the beach area will benefit:
§ Enhanced User Experience for Everyone
§ Safety:
§ Parking off the Philo-Greenwood Road so visitors can access the beach safely without walking in the roadway.
§ Beach access with graded trails from the parking area to the beach. One trail will be gently sloped complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The other will be more of a ramp that would be easy to use for those with watercraft.
§ Health: A restroom facility off the parking area.
§ Other Use Amenities: ADA parking; EV-ready parking; bicycle racks; information kiosk; trail from Hendy Woods State Park campground.
§ Education: with interpretive information about native Pomo life around and use of the Navarro River corridor, the history of “River’s Rest” as the old timers called the area, and aspects of river restoration.
§ Resource Enhancement: with stabilizing riparian plantings protecting the Navarro River’s banks, providing shade, habitat connectivity along the river, and enhancing water quality by minimizing erosion.
§ Community and Economy: to all residents and visitors of Anderson Valley and to State Parks and all of Anderson Valley businesses from the creation of an enhanced tourist opportunity.
THE CONCEPT PLAN
When the bridge reconstruction project is completed, the construction staging area and vehicular access ramps needed to rebuild the Philo-Greenwood Road bridge present a golden opportunity to be reclaimed to enhance safe future public access to the Navarro River, the beach, and Anderson Valley’s favorite swimming hole.
Along with the new facilities (see graphic below) a vital part of the Concept Plan is to stabilize approximately 750 feet of the river’s floodplain edge with willows and other riparian plantings and to restore an approximately ½-acre meadow between the parking area and the beach.
If you would like to receive ongoing information about the plans as they are developed, send us an e-mail at avlt@mcn.org with the subject heading Philo-Greenwood Beach.
NEXT STEPS AND COSTS
Based on funding availability, future aspects of the overall project before construction will include:
§ Negotiations with the Mendocino Redwood Company to establish how the property will be transferred for development. This would include a property appraisal.
§ Engineered survey and environmental baseline studies needed for the preparation of detailed site and revegetation designs.
§ Detailed Design and Construction documentation
§ Environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
§ Regulatory permits for construction
§ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Clean Water Act, Section 404 Permit
§ California State Water Resources Control Board: Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification
§ California Department of Fish & Game: Stream Alteration Agreement
§ Mendocino County: Building/Grading Permit
§ Pacific Gas and Electric Company: Utility Encroachment Permit
Initial (12/1/23) projection of probable costs associated with the project, excluding land acquisition, are:
§ Detailed Design and Construction Documentation: $150,000 - $250,000
§ Environmental Review and Permitting: $125,000 - $175,000
§ Construction: $850,000 to $1,000,000
§ Annual Maintenance: $40,000 to $45,000
The cost projections will be refined with time as more information is developed. The Anderson Valley Land Trust and its partners will be seeking community support and funding grants for the above.
