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Laguna Beach planning commission approves 3-year temporary parking permit at Community & Recreation Center
Summary
The Planning Commission unanimously approved a three-year temporary use permit and coastal development permit allowing temporary parking on the CRC grass field to support programming. Staff and commissioners said the city will monitor circulation, landscaping impacts and the field’s condition and may upgrade to gravel if needed.
The Laguna Beach Planning Commission on June 18 adopted a resolution approving a three-year temporary use permit (TUP 25-1094) and coastal development permit (CDP 25-1095) to allow temporary parking on the grass field at the Community and Recreation Center (CRC) at 3050 Coast Highway.
City capital programs manager Pierre Sawaya told the commission the grass field proposed for parking is approximately 21,000 square feet and sits between Coast Highway and the CRC facilities. The permit would allow parking for CRC users only, operate roughly from summer 2025 through summer 2028, and set hours of use at 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sawaya said perimeter landscaping and irrigation along the site edges would remain; irrigation would be turned off only for the portion of turf converted to parking. Staff said the lot would remain inside existing perimeter walls and fencing and temporary signs and delineators would be used to direct circulation. A gravel surfacing option could be considered later if the field deteriorates or creates dust and maintenance concerns.
Recreation staff explained the grass field has been difficult to program for sports because it is undersized for typical youth athletics and has mainly attracted neighborhood users such as dog walkers. Tierney Doran, recreation supervisor, and other recreation staff said the additional parking is intended to increase participation in indoor CRC programming by reducing on-site parking constraints and minimizing spillover parking into surrounding neighborhoods.
Commissioners asked about traffic and safety. Commissioners noted the site presently has about 45 parking spaces and observed the proposal would substantially increase capacity on site; staff said no formal traffic study was performed but that the CRC would stagger class start and end times and monitor vehicle circulation. Staff and recreation representatives said they will monitor parking impacts, head counts and circulation and return with recommendations if problems arise. The commission also asked about how parking stalls would be delineated on grass; staff described temporary methods such as staking and rope or installing rubber parking stops, and said long-term striping on grass or paint would not be durable.
Planning staff recommended, and the commission found, the project consistent with the city’s general plan and CEQA Class 4 exemption for minor land alterations. A motion to adopt the resolution approving TUP 25-1094 and CDP 25-1095 and to find the project CEQA-exempt passed unanimously; commissioners noted a 14-day right of appeal to the City Council.
The commission and staff emphasized the TUP is intended to be temporary and that staff will monitor environmental and circulation impacts, and consider a gravel surface only if necessary. The CRC team said they plan to review the program’s effects over the three-year term and return with a recommendation on whether to request a permanent permit or extension at the end of the period.
Votes at a glance: The motion to approve the TUP and CDP passed unanimously (Commissioners Goldman, Whiting, Dubin and Chair Sadler voted yes). The record includes a 14-day appeal period to City Council.
