Laguna Beach Special City Council Meeting Appeals Only - July 28, 2026

July 28, 2026

Executive Summary

- The Laguna Beach City Council conducted three design review appeals on July 28, 2026: 399 Pearl Street (ADU and single-family addition), 950 Baja Street (single-family home with ADU), and 332 Locust Street (second-story addition). - For 399 Pearl Street, the Council continued the appeal to October 13, 2026, directing the applicant to reduce the ADU to 800 square feet (from 944 square feet), move it back from the neighbor's property, and eliminate the additional footprint on the existing house. - For 950 Baja Street, the Council voted 4-1 to deny the appeal and uphold the Design Review Board's approval, with conditions requiring elimination of void areas in the back and confirmation that windows on the south side incorporate frosted glazing for privacy. - For 332 Locust Street, the Council voted 3-2 to deny the appeal and uphold the Design Review Board's approval of the second-story addition, with conditions requiring translucent upper-level windows. - The appeals highlighted tensions between state ADU laws limiting local authority, objective building site coverage standards, privacy concerns, neighborhood compatibility, and view equity considerations. - The Council emphasized the

Key Decisions

- Continued the 399 Pearl Street appeal to October 13, 2026 with direction to reduce the ADU to 800 square feet, move it back from the neighboring property, and eliminate the additional building site coverage on the existing house. - Denied the 950 Baja Street appeal and sustained the Design Review Board's approval with conditions eliminating void areas and requiring frosted glazing on south-facing windows (vote: 4-1, with Council Member Sue Kempf dissenting). - Denied the 332 Locust Street appeal and sustained the Design Review Board's approval with conditions requiring translucent upper-leve