Residents urge Laguna Beach council to prioritize affordable housing; Neighborhood Congregational Church named as potential site

Multiple residents used the public comment period at the strategic planning workshop to ask the city council to make affordable housing a top priority in the coming year. Speakers urged the council to adopt a measurable target for 2025, with several asking for a city effort to approve "at least 50 low and very low income living units this year." The comments tied housing availability to traffic reduction, workforce retention and economic vibrancy.

Barbara McMurray, a resident, said the state requires the city to plan for low-income housing in its 6th-cycle housing element and reminded the council the city must plan for 198 low-income units in its element. She asked the council to set a concrete metric so staff have clear direction. Cindy Schopfoff also urged the council to prioritize affordable housing and referenced the Neighborhood Congregational Church (NCC) site as a possible project candidate that has local support and a development team; she emphasized that the church project might have a financing gap that could be pursued.

Sue Cross, president of the NCC board, told the council the church site was identified in the housing element and said she had prepared research for the council showing the project could fit the community's values. She asked the council to consider supporting the project when it comes forward and to use strategic plan prioritization to make clear policy direction.

Council members heard repeated public appeals to use the strategic planning process to give staff specific, achievable direction on housing production and to consider application- and entitlement-process improvements so viable projects can move forward faster.

City staff noted the city's housing element obligations and said staff will continue to brief council as projects emerge; no formal action was taken at the workshop.