Seal Beach planning commission approves St. Anne campus plan and variances, 4–1

The City of Seal Beach Planning Commission on Thursday approved a conditional use permit and associated variances that will allow St. Anne Catholic Church to demolish and replace its parish hall and offices, build a new five‑unit priest residence and reconfigure the site’s parking and landscaping.

The commission voted 4–1 to adopt Resolution No. 25‑10, approving Conditional Use Permit 25‑0004 and Variance 25‑0002 with amended findings and conditions; Chair Wheeler voted no. City staff said the project must still clear a separate California Coastal Commission review before construction begins.

Staff presented the project as a campus‑wide reconfiguration of the church property on the 300 block of 10th Street. The application covers a two‑story parish hall and parish offices, demolition of several existing residential structures and a replacement single residential structure with five single‑room‑occupancy units for clergy. The site is a 41,125 square‑foot lot in the RHD‑20 zone; staff noted the existing church building will remain unchanged.

The applicant sought variances to retain an existing nonconforming rear setback (2 feet 6 inches where the RHD‑20 rear setback would be 9 feet), to reduce the required landscape percentage for the parking area to 6 percent, to waive the requirement to plant trees in the parking lot, to reduce landscape separation between the parking lot and parish buildings, to remove the garage/carport standard for the priest residence and to allow rooftop mechanical equipment (including elevator and solar equipment) to exceed the 25‑foot maximum height for mechanicals only. Staff recommended approval with conditions and corrected typographical errors in the draft resolution and CEQA citations (staff corrected the CEQA references to sections 15302 and 15332).

Architect Chuck Kluger and parish leaders described the proposal as a way to preserve the historic church while improving accessibility, adding ADA parking and consolidating priest housing. "We think within 2 and a half years we'll be ready to start construction," Kluger said, noting the timing depends on the Coastal Commission review. Kluger also told the commission that "if you go out there right now, there is zero landscaping in the parking lot," arguing the proposal would add trees along 10th Street and improve ADA access.

Members of the public who spoke at the hearing uniformly supported the project. Mark Arnold, a parishioner and member of the campus plan committee, said the plan is the product of a three‑year, inclusive process and called the schematic design "a very beautiful, meaningful design that really supports our parish life." Other parishioners emphasized community uses — including the Chamber of Commerce Thanksgiving dinner and community outreach programs — that they said the new facilities would support.

Commission deliberations focused on whether the commission could legally make the findings required to grant the landscaping and tree‑planting variances. Chair Wheeler said she had "a hard time making that finding with regard to landscaping because I just don't see anything about the lot that makes it impossible," pressing staff and the applicant for a clear nexus showing that strict application of the landscaping standards would preclude reasonable use of the property.

Staff and the applicant argued the site is constrained by its long, narrow configuration, existing institutional uses and multiple curb cuts and pointed to the site's history of prior variances and recent coastal guidance. Don Schmidt, the applicant’s coastal consultant, told the commission that Coastal Commission staff have urged maximizing on‑site parking in this area because "they deem it as a critical public access component," and that displacement of on‑street parking could jeopardize Coastal Commission approval.

To reconcile those concerns, commissioners proposed and accepted additional language clarifying the variance findings to note the property's prior nonconformities (including a 1966 variance), institutional constraints, the need to accommodate peak parking demand and the project's compliance with height intent because exceptions would be limited to rooftop equipment set back from view. The applicant also agreed to incorporate eight additional trees within the parking lot area as part of the design and a condition was added clarifying undergrounding utility language where feasible to the satisfaction of the city engineer.

The final motion approved the CUP and variances with the amended findings and conditions. The planning commission record notes that the project will be subject to a maintenance agreement requiring the church to maintain the proposed biofiltration stormwater system; staff and the applicant said the proposed biofiltration system is designed to handle more than a 100‑year storm and that maintenance will be the church’s responsibility.

The decision carries a 10‑day appeal period that begins the next day, the city attorney advised. If no appeal is filed, the applicant may proceed with the Coastal Commission submission and subsequent permitting steps; the applicant estimated it could be roughly 2½ years before construction starts, depending on Coastal Commission timing.

The Planning Commission adjourned at 9:09 p.m.; the next meeting is scheduled for Dec. 1.

Votes at a glance CUP 25‑0004 and Variance 25‑0002 — Approved, 4–1. Yes: Vice Chair Mangiani; Commissioner Campbell; Commissioner Perrell; Commissioner Nolte. No: Chair Wheeler. Ten‑day appeal period was announced by the city attorney.

What’s next The approval is conditioned on the finalized findings and conditions adopted at the hearing, including the added eight on‑site trees and maintenance obligations for stormwater infrastructure. The applicant must obtain Coastal Commission review; staff said the Coastal Commission outcome will determine definitive scheduling for construction.