Council denies hedge‑height appeal and orders benchmarked trimming to restore neighbor's ocean horizon view

Laguna Beach councilmembers on Monday denied an appeal of an administrative hedge‑height decision and sustained a hearing officer's order that a side‑yard Eugenia hedge be trimmed to 10 feet (not to exceed 11) to restore a neighbor's ocean horizon view.

The dispute concerned property at 511 and 527 Brook Street. The hearing officer found that photographic evidence, site visits and longitudinal photos from 2022 through 2025 documented that the hedge had grown above permitted heights in a side yard and contributed independently to obstruction of an ocean horizon view. Staff concluded the evidence met the code standard for corrective action under the city’s hedge‑height/view restoration ordinance.

Appellant Lee Hoskins, who has tended her garden for decades, and her counsel argued the claimant relied on atypical photo angles and that the ordinance does not protect a panoramic view or require a property owner to reduce a long‑standing hedge absent proof it was not properly maintained. The Calvert family, who filed the original claim, and their counsel said the hedge exceeded 13 feet and the hearing officer’s 10‑to‑11‑foot remedy balanced privacy and view restoration.

Council reviewed the matter de novo, found no abuse of discretion in the hearing officer’s facts and reasoning, and denied the appeal. Members directed staff to install a clear benchmark (for example a measured string line or marked reference) so the required height is verifiable for both sides and code enforcement. The council adopted the staff resolution sustaining the administrative decision and found the action exempt from CEQA as a minor alteration to land.

The decision leaves the ordered trimming and an ongoing maintenance regime in place; staff will return with enforcement specifics and the marked benchmark for compliance.