Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Coastal Access Stairs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Laguna Beach DRB approves reconstruction of storm-damaged bluff-top stairway at 1173 Marine Drive
Summary
The Design Review Board approved rebuilding a pre‑coastal private beach access stairway at 1173 Marine Drive in its original location and size, finding the work exempt from CEQA and consistent with local code for pre‑Coastal Act features.
The Laguna Beach Design Review Board on an expedited vote approved reconstruction of a private beach access stairway at 1173 Marine Drive, allowing the owner to replace a section destroyed by a May 2023 storm.
Staff told the board the stairway qualifies as a pre‑coastal, illegal nonconforming encroachment that may be rebuilt in the same location and size and that the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under state guideline section 15302. Heather, a city staff member, reported that eight letters of support from neighboring property owners were received.
Why it matters: the stair provides direct access from the house to the sand, and board members characterized the item as a public‑safety and maintenance matter rather than new development. Rebuilding in place preserves an existing means of access while the repair work is designed to minimize impacts to the beach and bluff.
Tom Simpson, the general contractor for the owner, said the damaged section fell in the May 2023 storm and described the team’s steps: contacting the city, following water‑quality instructions to remove concrete debris, reviewing historical permits and photographic evidence, and proposing materials and methods chosen for durability in the marine environment. He said the stairs total 62 steps and 11 landings and that the application requests replacement of eight steps and one landing.
Public comment was supportive. Nancy Bushnell, a Laguna resident of about 50 years, said she submitted one of the eight neighbor letters and described the ruined stair as an “eyesore” that should be repaired.
Board discussion was brief. Members agreed the proposal met design‑review standards and presented minimal risk to the beach. One board member described it as a “meticulous repair” with virtually no threat of impact to the public beach; another noted that staff’s coastal exemption analysis was persuasive.
Motion and outcome: a board member moved to adopt the resolution approving Design Review 24‑2462 and finding the action exempt from CEQA; the motion passed on a roll call with all members present voting yes. The board’s approval allows reconstruction in the same footprint with the stipulated construction practices and materials.
The applicant may proceed under the city’s permit process; the staff recommendation and neighbor support were cited during the hearing.
