PACIFICA (KRON) — An overhead Google Earth view of the Pacifica apartments from 2002 shows a time lapse of the erosion of the nearby bluffs.
Over a decade ago, there were about 50 feet of ground between the edge of the buildings and the cliff. There was even a sidewalk along the edge.
In 2008, when the erosion was starting to take hold, most of the sidewalk had fallen away, and a large washout had appeared on the right.
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In 2009, just one year later, the difference is dramatic. Nearly half of the bluff in front of the two apartments collapsed along a diagonal line. You can also see that large boulders have been placed on the beach to form a surf break.
By 2010, the erosion almost reached the edge of the apartments, with only a few feet of ground between the cliff and the buildings.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the bluffs have nearly reached the foundations of the buildings.
This week, the city slapped yellow tags on the doors of all 20 units at an apartment building at 310 Esplande Avenue. The building has been undermined by the erosion.