Long Beach zoning hearing on 550 East Harrison height variance left open after stop‑work concerns

The City of Long Beach Zoning Board of Appeals heard from Cameron Porgle and his attorney, Kenneth Dapple, on an application for a height variance at 550 East Harrison. Dapple told the board his client had withdrawn a curb‑cut/parking request and was seeking only relief for an alleged two‑foot miscalculation that occurred while building a FEMA‑compliant replacement home.

Porgle said the height discrepancy was discovered during a framing inspection and that correcting the error now would require extensive work on the roof and mechanicals. "The height was discovered during framing inspection," he said when asked how the error was found. He added that the work already completed made remediation difficult and costly.

Board counsel presented written correspondence from the building inspector showing a stop‑work order issued July 1 and an exchange of emails with the applicant. Counsel told the board that, under controlling case law, violation of a stop‑work order can be treated as an additional factor that supports denial of a variance: "when stop work orders are violated, ... if the board uses that to deny a variance, that is justified," counsel said. The board and counsel discussed whether work had continued after the order and whether the applicant had been advised to stop and bring the project into compliance.

Dapple asked the board to consider that the applicant had no financial benefit from the error and described the mistake as an honest construction error. Porgle also drew a sharp response when he summarized his own responsibility, saying, in the hearing, "There's no insurance for stupidity," in a comment about liability and coverage.

After extended questioning, the board did not vote on the variance and left the hearing open for further consideration. The record indicates the board will review the stop‑work correspondence and additional documents before scheduling a vote.

What's next: The hearing remains open; the board will review inspector correspondence and any additional materials the applicant or board counsel submits before a decision.