Laguna Beach City Council Public Hearing - July 21, 2020

July 21, 2020

Executive Summary

- Laguna Beach City Council held a virtual regular meeting on July 21, 2020, at 5:00 PM via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions - Council considered closing out three assessment districts that had completed improvements and had surplus funds to return to property owners - Council reviewed updates to the Downtown Specific Plan regarding business permitting and parking standards - Downtown Specific Plan updates required both local ordinance adoption and coastal commission approval - Council discussed implementing a temporary parklet program to provide additional outdoor dining space for restaurants during the pandemic - Public participation was allowed through phone, email, and Zoom - Written comments could be submitted until 3 PM the day before the meeting or until noon on the meeting day - The agenda balanced ongoing administrative functions with COVID-19 economic recovery needs while maintaining public access during shelter-in-place restrictions

Key Decisions

- Decision on closeout of three assessment districts (13-1, 13-6, and 09-1) and distribution of surplus funds to property owners - Second reading and adoption of zoning ordinance amendment 19-4483 and local coastal program amendment 19-4482 for Downtown Specific Plan updates - Direction to staff regarding implementation of a Parklets Pilot Program to support restaurants during COVID-19 - Direction to staff regarding Temple Hills Pathway No. 4 options following analysis review - Note: Councilmember Iseman abstained from votes related to Assessment District 13-1