Council grants Christ Lutheran exception to municipal special-event limit for weekly North Beach services

The San Clemente City Council granted an exception on Feb. 4 to allow Christ Lutheran Church to continue weekly Sunday morning worship at North Beach despite a municipal code limit that generally restricts recurring special events to 30 days per year.

The council’s unanimous action followed a staff report from Samantha Wiley, beaches, parks and recreation director, who said the application “no longer meets the code requirements” because the event occurs weekly and totals more than the code’s 30 days-per-year threshold. Wiley told the council the applicant “does have the right to operate 30 days out of the year” under the code and that staff had not recommended denial on the basis of past permit compliance: “This has nothing to do with their past habits as a permit holder.”

The hearing…