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Board denies appeal; plans to replace historic Cambria cabin after adding conditions to preserve a cypress
Summary
After a lengthy appeal hearing, the Board of Supervisors denied appeals by the North Coast Advisory Council and neighbors seeking a visual‑impact analysis and stronger protections for a Warren Leopold cabin on Sherwood Drive. The board added conditions requiring preservation of a southern 36‑inch Monterey cypress and recording that the property's vacation‑rental clearance would be voided on demolition.
The Board of Supervisors reviewed appeals of the Planning Department hearing‑officer’s approval of a minor‑use permit and coastal development permit to replace an existing ~1,000‑square‑foot Warren Leopold cabin at 2675 Sherwood Drive in Cambria with a two‑story 2,419‑square‑foot residence.
Appellants, including the North Coast Advisory Council (NCAC), argued the site is adjacent to a Cambria Shoreline Sensitive Resource Area and that the project lacks a visual‑impact analysis, fails to protect Monterey cypress trees and would degrade public views and neighborhood character. "We are asking the County to acknowledge that development on the coastal bluff in Cambria has an effect on the protected visual resources," NCAC representative Jeff Kwasney said.
The applicant's architect, Bill Eisman, told the board his team met with neighbors and offered design modifications (removing 2.5‑foot architectural projections on each side) and was open to relocating the Leopold cabin if a third party funded the move. He also said the existing cabin is in poor condition and partly seaward of recommended bluff setbacks.
After extended public comment (neighbors, historians and community advocates described the cabin’s cultural value and urged preservation), planning staff said the project complies with North Coast Area Plan setbacks, bluff‑retreat clarifications and the Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance. Staff reported that a historical resources evaluation concluded the existing structure is not eligible for the California Register and staff recommended a finding of exemption under CEQA (common‑sense rule).
The board denied the appeals and approved the project subject to modified conditions: (1) the southern 36‑inch Monterey cypress shall be preserved, and (2) upon completion of demolition of the existing residence the prior vacation‑rental zoning clearance will become void (i.e., redevelopment will not automatically preserve the existing vacation‑rental entitlement). The board also directed that those modifications be memorialized in the land‑use plan and conditions.
Supervisor Gibson and others acknowledged the home's local historical resonance but said the project meets applicable land‑use standards and the county’s finding that the structure is not historically eligible constrained their discretion. The applicant indicated willingness to preserve one tree and to consider relocation if funding is raised.
