An OTD is an offer by a landowner to grant a public access easement across their property for future public recreational use. The OTD simply offers the area; several steps must then be taken to turn the easement into a useable public accessway. The Coastal Commission has required over 2000 OTDs as conditions applied to a coastal development permit approval. When constructed and opened, these OTDs create new public accessways including beach access stairways, paths to the beach, blufftop trails, overlooks, and segments of the California Coastal Trail, as well as permanently protecting sandy beaches for general public recreational use.
The following are examples of public access opportunities that were created by the Coastal Commission through permits attached to coastal development permit approvals:
