The application for the continued closure of the reserve, up against its deadline for California Coastal Commission hearing, has been resubmitted. 

More than six years into its closure, the Scripps Coastal Reserve gates remain locked as UC San Diego once again withdrew its application for a management access plan to the California Coastal Commission ahead of a scheduled hearing.

The withdrawal is the latest move in a prolonged process which has kept the reserve largely closed to the public since 2020.

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Scripps Coastal Reserve, at 9400 La Jolla Farms Rd and known to locals as “the knoll” or “the cliffs,” contains about 1,000 acres above Black’s Beach and is part of the University of California’s Natural Reserve System.

UCSD closed the reserve, which had been open to the public daily, in 2020 during the pandemic and only reopened it for monthly docent-led tours and weekly maintenance.

The continued closure led to a California Coastal Commission investigation, as the restriction of public access in the coastal zone needs prior commission approval.

UCSD submitted an application for its managed access plan in 2024 to maintain the closure, citing safety concerns with the bordering cliffs, erosion prevention and preservation of native plants.

That plan was withdrawn before its June 2025 hearing deadline; it was resubmitted and withdrawn again ahead of its February deadline and has now been withdrawn a third time.

Each withdrawal resets the permit process timeline.

In this instance, UCSD withdrew the application to provide more time for stakeholder input and discussions with the Coastal Commission, the university told lajolla.ca. 

Coastal Commission spokesperson Joshua Smith told lajolla.ca the university immediately resubmitted its application and the “matter is on track for a hearing before the end of the year.”

There are no limits to how many times an applicant can withdraw and resubmit, Smith said.