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Laguna Beach expands comprehensive zoning update to add objective design standards and parking study; council approves contract amendment
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Summary
Council authorized a contract amendment with De Novo Planning Group to add objective design standards for single‑ and two‑family homes and a citywide commercial parking study. The expanded scope (roughly $388,300) prioritizes objective design standards and parking work to be completed within a year and the full code rewrite by 2027; city treasurer
The Laguna Beach City Council on July 29 approved an amendment to the city’s comprehensive zoning code update contract with De Novo Planning Group to add objective design standards and a citywide commercial parking study.
What council approved: The amendment adds six tasks and optional parking subtasks to the existing contract and increases the total contract cost by about $388,300 (total contract roughly $709,749). The scope prioritizes two near-term deliverables: objective design standards (ODS) for single‑ and two‑family development and updated commercial parking standards. Staff said those two elements will be brought forward for council consideration within about 12 months; the whole code update is expected to take up to 26 months.
Why this matters: California housing laws increasingly require objective design standards for certain housing approvals — a mechanism that allows the city to apply clear, measurable standards rather than discretionary judgments. Staff described a two-phase approach: a Phase 1 “box within a box” set of form-and-massing objective rules intended to be adopted quickly and used administratively for modest projects; and a Phase 2 set with illustrations, style-based guidance and checklists for single- and two-family architecture.
Parking and outreach: The amendment includes a Kittleson-led parking analysis modeled on prior downtown methodology; staff plans two sets of counts (summer and non-summer) to create defensible parking standards and to update non-downtown commercial requirements. The record will include broad public outreach: stakeholder interviews, pop-up events, and community workshops timed so the city both hears input and returns with proposals showing how comments were addressed.
Budget and timing: No additional appropriation was requested tonight; staff said the remaining balance will be requested in the FY 26–27 budget. Councilors asked staff to keep work moving and to use prior Downtown-specific parking studies where appropriate to avoid redundant field work.
Next steps: Staff will begin parking counts and outreach and return to the council with the Phase 1 objective design standards and the parking study deliverables, then proceed to the full code rewrite as scheduled.
