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Board directs staff to prepare denial resolution for 1560 Bluebird Canyon Lot B after extensive neighborhood opposition
Summary
After prolonged public comment and board debate about massing, right‑of‑way retaining walls and access, the Design Review Board voted 3‑2 to direct staff to prepare a resolution denying the Lot B application at 1560 Bluebird Canyon Drive and place the resolution on the consent calendar for the June 12 meeting.
Laguna Beach’s Design Review Board on May 22 voted 3‑2 to direct staff to prepare a resolution denying Design Review 24‑2509, Coastal Development Permit 24‑2510 and Revocable Encroachment Permit 24‑2511 for Lot B at 1560 Bluebird Canyon Drive. The board’s direction followed extended public testimony raising concerns about massing, retaining walls in the public right‑of‑way, a long steep driveway and impacts to the ridgeline and neighborhood character.
Staff summarized the redesigned proposal and noted the applicant reduced total living area and altered materials and massing from an earlier design. The applicant’s architect, David Parker, presented numerous before/after comparisons and said the revised project reduced overall square footage and glazing, lowered many retaining walls, added landscaping and retained the buildable pad at the top of the knoll. He argued the top‑of‑knoll location was the least‑impact option; the applicant offered conditions on road repair, preconstruction photographic surveys and bonding for potential roadway damage.
Many neighbors spoke in opposition, saying the structure remains too large for the ridge, the required revocable encroachment would create permanent high retaining walls in the public right‑of‑way, and truck haul routes and heavy excavation would threaten the narrow neighborhood streets. Several neighbors urged the board to reject the REP because it would set a precedent for an oversized permanent structure in the public right‑of‑way.
After extended deliberations, members who voted to direct staff to prepare a denial resolution cited remaining mass and scale, the prominence of retaining walls in the right‑of‑way, and unresolved access concerns. The motion to direct staff to prepare a denial resolution and place it on the agenda for the June 12 meeting passed by roll call: Bauta no; Coveney yes; Weil yes; Gannon no; Gibbs yes (3–2). The direction instructs staff to draft findings for denial for the board’s review.
