Laguna Beach planning commission approves 491‑sq‑ft addition, parking reallocation and loading‑zone exception for Glen Eyrie office/’Pottery Place’ properties

The Laguna Beach Planning Commission on March 5 approved amendments to prior conditional use permits, a design review and a coastal development permit to allow a 491‑square‑foot infill addition to an office building at the northwest corner of Glen Eyrie and Crest streets and related changes affecting the nearby Pottery Place commercial property.

The commission voted unanimously to adopt resolutions approving conditional use permit 25‑0227 (amending CUP 23‑0095), design review 25‑0230 and coastal development permit 25‑0229, and to adopt a second resolution amending prior conditional use permits for the Pottery Place project. The motion included a single wording change to a public‑art condition, replacing the term “removed” with “moved.” Chair Sadler noted there is a 14‑day right of appeal to the City Council.

The approved work includes a 491‑square‑foot lower‑level infill on the south side of the existing office building, modest fenestration adjustments and restoration of the Crest Street sidewalk. The applicant will reallocate required parking so that all 20 required spaces for the office and associated Pottery Place needs will be located off‑site at 281 Brook Street; staff said those spaces are deed‑restricted in perpetuity. The applicant also requested — and staff recommended approval of — an exception to the Laguna Beach municipal code loading‑space requirement for the LBP zone. Public Works reviewed the proposal and reported no additional concerns if the loading‑space requirement is removed.

Principal planner Martina Caron summarized the application and noted that the redevelopment had previously been approved on Feb. 15, 2023, and that the current request would amend those approvals. "Now the applicant is proposing to amend those approvals and to construct a 491 square foot lower level infill addition on the south side of the building," Caron said during her presentation. She told the commission the applicant proposes to relocate all required parking to the off‑site lot at 281 Brook Street and that the staff report provides the analysis supporting a possible loading‑space exemption.

Applicant representative Joe Hanauer said the 491‑square‑foot figure corrects a typographical error on earlier plans and described the design rationale for the change. "In those 18 years, that spot has never been used for loading. It's used for cars, for parking," Hanauer said of the area that had been shown for parking; he and his team said stop signs and alley circulation accommodate truck deliveries that now occur in the alley adjacent to the properties. Hanauer also said the approved elevations and materials remain essentially identical and that the addition will improve the building’s street presence.

Commissioners discussed several project details before voting. Commissioners praised the aesthetics and pedestrian improvements, and several recommended adding street trees to increase shade. Commissioner Kellenberg asked whether any of the relocated spaces would come from the lower level of the parking garage; the applicant said one space would. Commissioner Whiten asked staff to confirm that the 20 off‑site parking spaces are deed‑restricted in perpetuity; Caron confirmed that condition is included.

On loading and deliveries, commissioners acknowledged the alley is a public right of way and that deliveries sometimes block circulation. Caron and Public Works staff noted the alley historically functions as a delivery area and said they had no objection to the loading‑space exemption as proposed, while also noting that, if the commission declined the exemption, the applicant would need to restore a loading space within the site to comply with code.

The resolution of approval carries forward prior conditions unless amended by the commission; the motion adopted at the meeting included the single condition language change about public art to state the piece "may be moved" rather than "may be removed." The applicant was reminded the public‑art installation must be processed through the Arts Commission and City Council and that occupancy permits could be contingent on that approval timeline.

No members of the public spoke during the public‑comment period on this item. The commission closed the hearing and, after the unanimous vote, the chair announced the 14‑day appeal period to the City Council.

The commission also noted a March 12 special joint meeting with the Design Review Board and City Council on objective design standards; that meeting was announced at the end of the session.