Planning commission approves Surfing Heritage and Culture Center move to downtown Laguna Beach

The Laguna Beach Planning Commission on May 21 approved a conditional use permit and a coastal development permit allowing the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center (SHAC) to relocate from San Clemente to a two-story, approximately 16,500-square-foot building at 239 Broadway in downtown Laguna Beach.

Wendy Young, principal planner, told the commission the site is in the CBD-2 district and that the museum use requires a CUP and a coastal development permit because it increases parking demand compared with the prior retail/pharmacy use. Young said the building has 51 parking spaces on an adjacent lot under common ownership; the museum’s parking requirement is 1 space per 300 square feet and staff concluded the existing lot provides a two-space surplus relative to the blended downtown rate and the museum rate. Staff recommended adoption of Resolution 25-0884 approving the entitlements and finding the action exempt from CEQA.

Applicant Mark Christie, co-chair of the museum’s board, told commissioners SHAC would operate daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., employ 6 to 8 staff for museum operations and host rotating exhibits and special events in the evenings. Christie described the move as bringing “the world's premier surf museum to Laguna Beach.” He said the organization intends to offer free admission for locals and support operations through donations and event rentals; the proposal also includes a compact kitchen and small beer-and-wine service for events.

Commissioners and staff discussed special-event capacity and parking: staff said the CUP includes a limit tied to available parking (an assembly cap in the resolution was expressed as 153 seats or an assembly area of 1,785 square feet). Staff outlined options for the museum to apply for director-level temporary-use permits for short events or to return with a transportation/parking plan to permit larger or recurring special events, including off-site parking agreements or shuttle plans.

Several commissioners praised the proposal as an economic and cultural benefit for downtown Laguna Beach. Public commenters supported the relocation and asked the commission to permit recurring special events or permit an annual allowance; staff said the museum could apply administratively for short events and could return later with a permanent plan for more frequent larger events.

Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the resolution approving Conditional Use Permit 25-0884 and Coastal Development Permit 25-0885, and found the action exempt from CEQA. The commission noted the museum must comply with the parking and occupancy conditions in the resolution and that requests for larger or more frequent events would require additional approvals.