Laguna Beach planning panel approves 3-year temporary parking permit at Community and Recreation Center

The Laguna Beach Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a three-year temporary use permit (TUP 25-1094) and coastal development permit (CDP 25-1095) to use the grass field adjacent to the Community and Recreation Center (CRC) as temporary parking.

Pierre Sawaya, capital program manager with Public Works, told the commission the parcel between Coast Highway and the CRC contains a roughly 21,000-square-foot grass field and is zoned R-1 and R-3. The TUP would run roughly from summer 2025 through summer 2028 and allow on-site parking for CRC users between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sawaya said the lot would remain within the existing perimeter walls and landscaping, and irrigation would be turned off only for the area used for parking.

The CRC’s recreation supervisor, Tierney Doran, said the grass field has been difficult to program for youth sports because the space is undersized; primary users are neighborhood dog walkers. Doran said the CRC currently has 45 parking spaces and that converting the grass field to temporary parking would increase access so more programming can run simultaneously. "We would like to stay within our current programmed hours," Doran said, and staff plans to monitor use before deciding on any permanent change.

Commissioners pressed staff on possible impacts. Commissioners asked whether recreation programs would be displaced (Doran said most programs are inside the building and the grass field has seen limited organized use), how the parking would be delineated on grass (staff described stakes, rope, or rubber parking stops), and whether vehicle fluids and winter rains could degrade the field (staff said they would monitor the surface and might convert to a gravel option if durability problems arise).

Concerns about traffic also came up. Commissioners noted the site’s two access points—Cardinal Drive and Terry Road—connect to Coast Highway without traffic signals and asked whether a traffic study should be required. Staff said they have not done a formal traffic study, but Recreation staff said they would stagger class start and end times and conduct informal time-and-use studies to evaluate circulation and queuing. Commissioner Sadler asked staff to evaluate traffic impacts over the TUP period and to return with a request for a permanent change only if warranted.

No members of the public spoke on the item. The motion to adopt the resolution approving TUP 25-1094 and CDP 25-1095 and to find the actions exempt from CEQA passed unanimously on a roll call vote (Commissioners Goldman, Whiting, Dubin and Chair Sadler voting yes). Chair Sadler noted a 14-day right of appeal to the City Council.

The commission required monitoring of the lot’s condition, allowed staff flexibility to pursue a gravel surface if needed, and asked that staff track traffic and parking usage during the three-year authorization. The TUP is limited to CRC users and is not intended as general public or beach parking.

Looking ahead, staff said they will monitor the field’s condition and user patterns during the permit period and will return with recommendations if the city should seek a more permanent solution after the three-year trial.