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Commission approves 206 Descanso rental with daytime-only rooftop and front‑deck use after residents cite 'oversaturation'
Summary
Avalon commissioners approved a transient rental license for 206 Descanso (3-bed, rooftop deck) but added a condition limiting rooftop and front‑deck use to daylight hours after neighbors presented a 15‑signer petition citing nuisance noise and oversaturation; the vote was 3‑2 with recusals.
The Avalon Planning Commission approved a transient rental license and coastal development permit for 206 Descanso Avenue on Feb. 18 but imposed an additional condition limiting use of the rooftop deck and front deck to daylight hours. The commission adopted Resolution PC26-05 and found the project exempt from CEQA under the Class 1 existing facilities exemption.
Kelli Robuffo, contract planner, described the property as a two‑story, three‑bedroom residence with a rooftop deck and noted staff’s review of the property’s history, including a revoked conditional use permit from 1994. Robuffo said staff had received three public comment letters prior to the hearing (two in opposition, one in support) and that the site is in Noise District 1. "It is the opinion of staff that the prior revocation of the CUP doesn't preclude consideration of the current application because the current property owner was unaware of that previous CUP," Robuffo said. The applicant, Eric Pence, attended in person and explained that ownership is held through corporate and trust structures and that the property is intended primarily for owner use.
Nearby resident Debbie Wright spoke for 15 Lower Descanso homeowners and renters, presenting a petition and saying the neighborhood is already saturated with short‑term rentals. "We all know how much noise carries on the island... No one should have to live like that," Wright told the commission, citing balconies and decks adjacent to bedrooms and repeated late‑night disturbances. Wright asked the commission to deny the application; another neighbor said the current owners had removed speakers and would monitor the property but residents said a new permit would worsen existing quality‑of‑life problems.
Commissioners debated options including denial, additional conditions, or continuance. An initial motion to deny based on quality‑of‑life concerns failed on a 2‑3 vote. Later, a motion to approve the staff recommendations with an added restriction that rooftop and front deck use be limited to daylight hours passed 3‑2; two commissioners had recused themselves earlier for vicinity/proximity conflicts and one commissioner's abstention was recorded due to proximity. Robuffo also noted there is a 15‑day appeal period for the decision to be filed with the city council.
