Laguna Beach design board splits on large Chiquita Street home; several other projects approved or continued

Laguna Beach — The Laguna Beach Design Review Board on Thursday approved multiple small additions and remodels, continued two larger residential projects for redesign, and directed staff to prepare a resolution of denial for a contentious proposal at 167 Chiquita Street after split votes on whether the project met the board’s design guidelines.

The most contentious items were a proposed second-story remodel at 607 Short Street, which the board continued after extended public comment and detailed discussion about mass, scale, privacy and view equity, and a disputed new house at 167 Chiquita Street, for which a majority of the board voted to direct staff to prepare a denial citing mass-and-scale and neighborhood-compatibility concerns.

Why it matters: several projects in the Tree Streets and North Laguna neighborhoods would change building massing and sightlines for nearby homes. The board’s decisions — and the direction it gives applicants to restake, redesign or reduce building mass — affect property owners’ designs, neighbors’ views and the timing of construction and permits.

The board moved quickly through several smaller agenda items early in the meeting. It approved a 95-square-foot lower-level infill at 614 Seaview Street (design review resolution 24-2265), finding the addition consistent with design review standards and exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guideline §15301. It approved a conversion plus dormers at 2894 Zelle Drive (resolution 25-0044) with a condition limiting certain back-yard trees to between 10 and 12 feet to address a neighbor’s view/privacy concern. The board also approved a previously reviewed remodel and reduced addition at 446 Holly Street that includes a 125-square-foot upper-level closet, a 107-square-foot lower-level family-room addition and a 3,299-gallon spa; staff found the revised plan consistent with prior direction and the…