The Legislature finds and declares that California’s urban waterfronts, being often the first part of an urban area to develop and, thus, the first to decay, are in need of restoration in order to be the vital economic and cultural component of the community which they once were. The Legislature further finds and declares that developing the state’s urban waterfronts into environmentally sound areas through, but not limited to, the creation of parks, open space, visitor serving facilities, and housing for all income levels will promote tourism, public access, and private sector development in these areas. The Legislature further finds and declares that the encouragement of tourism, public access to the coast, and planned private sector development to be a benefit to the citizens of the state, as well as the local citizenry in affected urban waterfront areas. It is, therefore, the intent of this chapter to promote the restoration of the state’s vital urban waterfronts.