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Coastal permit administrator approves 6‑foot cedar fence, gate and after‑the‑fact hot tub in Fort Bragg
Summary
Mendocino County’s Coastal Permit Administrator approved a modification to CDP_2023-000043 March 12 to allow a 6-foot cedar fence with a 16-foot rolling gate and to permit an after‑the‑fact hot tub and existing fence at 33041 Virgin Creek Lane (APN 06917119); agency referrals prompted biological and cultural reports that staff said found no protected resources.
The Mendocino County Coastal Permit Administrator on March 12 approved a modification to a coastal development permit to allow a 6-foot cedar fence with a 16-foot-wide rolling gate and to permit an after‑the‑fact hot tub and existing fence at 33041 Virgin Creek Lane in Fort Bragg, staff said.
Project planner Shelby Miller told the hearing the modification (CDPM 2025-00005) amends CDP_2023-000043 to authorize the fence and gate and to regularize a previously installed hot tub and fence. Miller said the parcel (APN 06917119) sits in the coastal zone roughly two miles north of the Fort Bragg city center. The project was referred to multiple agencies; the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Coastal Commission and the Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians expressed concerns about biological and cultural resources because documentation had not been included with the initial submittal.
Miller said the applicant subsequently provided a biological assessment and a cultural resources report, and "both of these reports determined that no protected resources were found on the subject parcel." Miller described fences and hot tubs as accessory uses customarily associated with a single‑family residence and told the administrator staff found the project consistent with the Local Coastal Program. Miller said the project meets the criteria for a categorical exemption under CEQA Guideline section 15303 (existing facilities). Staff recommended approval with conditions set forth in the staff report.
Kelly Grimes, identified in the staff report as the applicants' agent, addressed the hearing and thanked Miller for "being persistent and sticking with this project," noting the applicants had found the process frustrating. The administrator opened the public hearing, recorded no other public speakers, and said they had reviewed the staff report and would approve the project subject to the findings and conditions contained in the staff report. The approval was recorded on the hearing record; no roll-call vote was reported.
The staff report lists required conditions of approval and any monitoring or mitigation measures the county deems necessary to ensure the project remains consistent with coastal resource protections.
