Dana Point planning panel approves detached accessory living quarter with reduced separation at 32642 Adriatic Drive

The Dana Point Planning Commission voted 4-0 on March 10 to approve Coastal Development Permit CDP 24-0013, Minor Site Development Permit SDP 24-0022 M and Administrative Modification AMS 24-0005 to allow a detached accessory living quarter (ALQ) in the front half of the parcel at 32642 Adriatic Drive in the Monarch Bay Terrace neighborhood. The administrative modification reduces the required building separation between the primary dwelling and the ALQ from 10 feet to 5 feet.

City staff assistant planner Natalie Tran presented the application and said the proposal would add a one‑story detached ALQ with one bedroom, one bathroom and a living area. Tran said the plans include a statement and a deed restriction that the ALQ “will not have no kitchen or cooking facilities and will not be rented or used as a separate dwelling.” She told the commission the structure does not exceed the 12‑foot height limit for detached accessory structures and otherwise complies with RSF‑4 development standards for setbacks, height and lot coverage.

Tran said the property is in the non‑appealable jurisdiction of the Coastal Overlay District, north of Pacific Coast Highway in Monarch Bay Terrace, and that staff and the building official determined the California Residential Code’s fire separation requirements would not apply because the unit is an accessory structure rather than an independent dwelling unit. Tran also noted the applicant obtained approval from the Monarch Bay Terrace Association and that surrounding properties in the neighborhood contain similar detached structures.

A resident, Chris Colwell of Dana Point, addressed the commission during public comment and urged denial. “I strongly oppose the request to reduce the setback from 10 feet to 5 feet for the proposed accessory living quarters for the following reasons,” Colwell said, and listed concerns including loss of privacy and neighborhood character, parking and traffic, drainage and precedent. He cited what he identified in the hearing as Dana Point zoning code sections “9.69 0.03 a 3 and 9.6109 b 1,” and urged the commission to deny the modification or require the addition be attached to the existing house.

Commissioners discussed the site constraints, neighborhood context and code findings. Vice Chair Nelson said the applicant could have complied with the 10‑foot separation by moving the structure farther onto the slope but that the proposed design preserves the existing house and neighborhood character. “I don’t see any challenge to the seven findings that we have to make,” Nelson said, and added support for the application. Other commissioners noted the design is visually compatible, that similar approvals exist in the HOA, and that a drainage plan is required as a condition of approval (listed in the staff report as condition number 17).

A motion to approve the three permits and the administrative modification was made, seconded and passed 4-0 with one absence (Commissioner Dhingra). The action approves the coastal development permit (CDP 24-0013), the minor site development permit (SDP 24-0022 M) to locate the detached ALQ in the front half of the lot, and administrative modification (AMS 24-0005) to reduce separation from 10 feet to 5 feet between the single‑family dwelling and the accessory structure.

The staff report and the commission’s approval note several implementation requirements that remain: the deed restriction prohibiting kitchen facilities and rental, building permit review, and compliance with the drainage plan condition referenced in the staff report. The commission listed no further direction to staff. The commission adjourned until its March 24 meeting.