Meeting

Appeals Only City Council Special Meeting - 5/14/2026 1:00:00 AM

CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

MAY 13, 2026
COUNCIL CHAMBERS – 505 FOREST AVENUE, LAGUNA BEACH, CA 92651

REGULAR MEETING - 5:00 P.M.

MARK ORGILL, Mayor
HALLIE JONES, Mayor Pro Tem
SUE KEMPF, Councilmember
ALEX ROUNAGHI, Councilmember
BOB WHALEN, Councilmember

DAVE KIFF, City Manager
MEGAN GARIBALDI, City Attorney
LAURA PARISI, City Treasurer
ANN MARIE McKAY, City Clerk

LEVINE ACT DISCLOSURE: Pursuant to the Levine Act (Govt Code Section 84308), any party to a permit, license, contract, or other entitlement before the City Council is required to disclose on the record any campaign contribution, including aggregated contributions, of more than $500 commencing on January 1, 2025, made by the party or the party’s agents within the preceding 12 months to any City official. Participants and agents are requested to make this disclosure as well. The disclosure should be made when the agenda item is called and must include the name of the party, participant, or agent, and any other person making the contribution, the name of the recipient, the amount of the contribution, and the date the contribution was made. Council Members are also required to make such disclosures and recuse themselves.

Public Participation: You may submit comments in person on any agenda item or any item not on the agenda. You may also submit written comments on any agenda item or on any item not on the agenda via mail to the City Clerk at 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA. 92651 or by email to [email protected]. In order to allow sufficient time for members of the City Council and staff to review and consider your written comments, written comments will be accepted for consideration up until the close of business (i.e., 5:30 p.m.) on the business day before the date on which this public meeting is scheduled. Written comments WILL NOT be read aloud during the City Council Meeting. Please note that written comments are posted on the City’s website, so do not include any personal information you do not want posted on the web. Any comments received after the deadline for submittal may not become part of the public record for that meeting. For comments submitted on a topic not on the agenda, please indicate that you would like your comments included in the official record for this meeting.

Courtesy Virtual Broadcast: Please take notice that the City also plans to broadcast the meeting via the below listed mediums. These virtual broadcast mediums are also provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be technically feasible or uninterrupted. Thus, in order to guarantee live-time viewing, members of the public are encouraged to attend in person.
1.   Online on the City of Laguna website: www.lagunabeachcity.net/meetings
2.   Cox cable channel 852
3.   Online on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQsj8cEM7IvTH6p4uf3NUzQ

CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING FOR APPEALS HEARINGS **********************************************************

PUBLIC HEARINGS FOR APPEALS. This section is specifically for appeals of determinations of the Planning Commission, the Design Review Board, or other Boards or Commissions. Public Hearings (Appeals) are different from other public hearings in two ways: (1) In some cases, the City Council can only consider whether a lower body abused its discretion in granting or denying a project application. In other cases, the Council can conduct the hearing “de novo,” meaning that it can consider old and new information and make a determination unbound by the lower body’s decision. The item’s staff report will clearly state which review standard applies to each appeal item; and (2) public comment generally occurs this way: Staff presents a report about the appeal, Council members ask questions about the report. Then the presiding officer opens the public hearing, inviting the person who filed the appeal (the appellant) to speak first, followed by persons supporting the appellant’s position. Then the presiding officer invites persons disagreeing with appeal to speak. When all speakers have spoken, the presiding officer invites the appellant up a second time to address any comment and to conclude their argument. Following that, the presiding officer closes the public hearing, and the Council deliberates further and ultimately votes on a motion. The City Council conducts all Public Hearings in accordance with the provisions of applicable Laguna Beach procedure and State law. The Mayor shall have discretion to establish the time allocated for persons who wish to speak, often allowing more time for the appellant and/or the applicant.

31526 VALIDO ROAD: PUBLIC HEARING FOR APPEAL OF DESIGN REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL OF DESIGN REVIEW 24-0658 AND COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 24-0657 FOR A NEW SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING, ATTACHED TWO-CAR GARAGE, ELEVATED DECKS, GRADING, AND LANDSCAPING, AND DEMOLITION OF AN EXISTING SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING AT 31526 VALIDO ROAD IN THE R-1, RESIDENTIAL LOW-DENSITY ZONE SUBJECT TO IMPOSING A MORE RESTRICTIVE CONDITION OF APPROVAL, AND CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GUIDELINES SECTION 15303 (CLASS 3)

Recommendations:

Conduct a Public Hearing, including receiving a staff report and taking public testimony and all evidence relating to the consideration of Design Review 24-0658 and Coastal Development Permit 24-0657 and the California Environmental Quality Act categorical exemption under Section 15303 of the state CEQA Guidelines; and
Adopt the Resolution titled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DENYING THE APPEAL AND SUSTAINING THE DECISION OF THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD TO CONDITIONALLY APPROVE DESIGN REVIEW 24-0658 AND COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 24-0657 FOR A NEW SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING, ATTACHED TWO-CAR GARAGE, ELEVATED DECKS, GRADING, AND LANDSCAPING, AND DEMOLITION OF AN EXISTING SINGLE- FAMILY DWELLING AT 31526 VALIDO ROAD IN THE R-1, RESIDENTIAL LOW-DENSITY ZONE SUBJECT TO IMPOSING A MORE RESTRICTIVE CONDITION OF APPROVAL, AND CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GUIDELINES SECTION 15303 (CLASS 3)”, upholding the Design Review Board’s conditional approval of Design Review 24-0658 and Coastal Development Permit 24-0657, and finding the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.

APPEAL OF THE DENIAL OF CDP 2026-0148, AT 238 CHIQUITA STREET

Recommendations:

Conduct a Public Hearing, including receiving a staff report and taking public testimony and evidence relating to the consideration of Coastal Development Permit 2026-0148 and the California Environmental Quality Act; and
Adopt the Resolution titled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DENYING THE APPEAL AND SUSTAINING THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD’S DENIAL OF COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2026-0148 FOR A DETACHED ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT IN THE R-2, RESIDENTIAL MEDIUM DENSITY ZONE, AND DETERMINING THAT THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT DOES NOT APPLY TO PROJECTS THAT ARE DISAPPROVED ”, upholding the Design Review Board’s denial of Coastal Development Permit 2026-0148, and finding the denial of the Project exempt from CEQA.

31985 AND 31987 COAST HIGHWAY: PUBLIC HEARING FOR APPEAL OF DESIGN REVIEW BOARD APPROVAL OF DESIGN REVIEW 2026-0024, COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2026-0025, AND VARIANCE 2026-0026, FOR DEMOLITION OF THE EXISTING STRUCTURES AND CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE WITH A TWO-CAR GARAGE AT 31985 AND 31987 COAST HIGHWAY IN THE R-1 ZONE, AND CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GUIDELINES SECTION 15303 (CLASS 3)

Recommendations:

Conduct a Public Hearing, receive a staff report and take public testimony and evidence relating to the consideration of Design Review 2026-0024, Coastal Development Permit 2026-0025, and Variance 2026-0026, and the California Environmental Quality Act exemption under Section 15303 of the state CEQA Guidelines; and
Adopt the Resolution titled, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, DENYING THE APPEAL AND SUSTAINING THE DESIGN REVIEW BOARD’S APPROVAL OF DESIGN REVIEW 2026-0024, COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2026-0025, AND VARIANCE 2026-0026 FOR DEMOLITION OF THE EXISTING STRUCTURES AND CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE WITH A TWO-CAR GARAGE AT 31985 AND 31987 COAST HIGHWAY IN THE R-1, RESIDENTIAL LOW DENSITY ZONE, AND CATEGORICAL EXEMPTION UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT GUIDELINES SECTION 15303”, upholding the Design Review Board’s conditional approval of Design Review 2026-0024, Coastal Development Permit 2026-0025, and Variance 2026-0026, and finding the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.

ADA ACCOMMODATIONS

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Pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons with a disability who require a disability-related modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, may request such modification or accommodation from the City Clerk at (949) 497-0705 (telephone) or (949) 497-0771 (facsimile). Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to assure accessibility to the meeting.

COMPLIANCE WITH GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54957.5

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Materials related to an item on this Agenda submitted to the City Council after distribution of the agenda packets are available for public inspection in the City Clerk's Office at 505 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, California, during normal business hours.

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