Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves alterations and ADU for historic house at 372 Center Street with conditions
Summary
Design review, coastal permit, revocable encroachment permit and a variance for 372 Center Street were approved 4‑0 with conditions to preserve rear hedges and to align a right‑of‑way parking edge; Heritage Committee had supported the work.
The Laguna Beach Design Review Board approved a package of permits for 372 Center Street that included design review, a coastal development permit, a revocable encroachment permit (REP) and a zoning variance to allow modest yard improvements within a recorded water‑course setback. The Heritage Committee previously reviewed and supported the proposed modifications to the historic residence.
City staffer Bill Rodriguez presented the project and said the property is a historic structure with a deep rear yard and that a mapped water course runs diagonally through the lot; staff noted the city retains a 25‑foot setback from the mapped center line of the water course. Rodriguez said a hydrological study (River Tech) concluded water no longer conveys through the lot, and staff therefore characterized the variance as a technical requirement to permit low yard improvements and a detached ADU in the rear yard. The Heritage Committee reviewed the proposal in February 2025 and supported the modifications; the committee's recommended conditions were incorporated into the staff resolution.
The applicant's representative and an interior designer told the board the front elevation will be restored toward the original form (removing an unpermitted alteration), the rear ADU will be single story with no rear windows facing a neighbor, and mature privacy hedges (trimmed to about 12 feet) will remain in place. A neighbor from Pearl Street asked about privacy and hedges; the applicant confirmed hedges are currently approximately 12 feet and will be retained.
Board members discussed the REP and a publicly visible trapezoidal landscape bump‑out that narrows on‑street parking; one board member asked the applicant to square that edge to create a straighter public parking line. The applicant offered to extend the carport area to align the parking and avoid drainage/retaining issues. The board adopted a condition for staff to verify the REP parking alignment in final plans and included a condition of approval to maintain the rear hedges at roughly 12–15 feet for privacy.
Motion and vote: The board moved to adopt Resolution 24‑2553 (and associated permit/resolution numbers recorded in the transcript) approving Design Review 24‑2553, Revocable Encroachment Permit 24‑2555, Variance 24‑2554 for historic resource alterations and Coastal Development Permit 24‑25557 for the detached ADU; the motion included conditions for hedge preservation (12–15 feet) and REP linear alignment at staff discretion. The motion passed 4‑0.
Provenance: Transcript discussion begins with staff presentation for item 5.8 and ends with the motion, second and recorded vote and the board's conditions regarding hedges and REP alignment.
