Laguna Beach planning commission urges City Council to remove mapped watercourse at 600 Buena Vista Way

The City of Laguna Beach Planning Commission on March 4 voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt a general plan amendment and Local Coastal Program amendment to remove a mapped "significant natural watercourse" at 600 Buena Vista Way.

City planner Shavita told commissioners the applicant submitted hydrology and biological reports that were peer reviewed and found the mapped line no longer serves a distinct functional, scenic or ecological purpose, and staff recommended adoption of Resolution 25-23-45 and a finding that the action is exempt from CEQA. "The project site is located at 600 Buena Vista Way," Shavita said during her presentation.

The request would delete the mapped watercourse from the major watersheds and drainage course map in the Open Space/Conservation Element; staff said prior entitlements include a condition requiring the owner to dedicate open space below the 332-foot contour before a certificate of occupancy is issued. The site is roughly 1.4 acres, staff said.

Applicant representatives argued the mapped feature is an inactive, disturbed depression that triggers repeated, costly studies for routine work. "This watercourse has absolutely no functional purpose at all," said Larry Noakes, who said he represents owners Dave and Susan Cousins and cited peer-reviewed hydrology and ecological reports. Noakes and the owner described prior approvals on related work — roadway, fire-turnaround and retaining walls — that required repeating studies and costly delays.

Property owner Dave Cousins told the commission the family has spent years and significant money responding to repeated study requirements tied to the mapped watercourse. "Hundreds of thousands of dollars is what we're talking about," Cousins said, describing years of delays and rework that stalled the project.

An adjacent-property representative, Greg Tross, urged the commission to require fuller environmental review and said the application appeared to "piecemeal" the project to qualify for a CEQA categorical exemption. "The common sense exemption under 15061(b)(3) should not apply here because of that," Tross said, citing storm-runoff and biology concerns for intermittent or dry watercourses.

A nearby neighbor, Mike Simmons, spoke in support of the applicants and said neighbors have benefitted from item-related improvements such as a fire turnaround. "We've been through the work ... we want to expedite it," Simmons said.

Commissioners discussed whether mapped watercourse maps from the 1980s may be outdated, weighed the peer-reviewed technical findings and debated whether removal would change legal development rights; staff and other commissioners noted that any future development proposals would still require the standard entitlement process and that deed restrictions tied to the certificate of occupancy will protect the designated open space for a limited period (staff estimated about 20–25 years). Several commissioners said the record of peer-reviewed reports and existing deed-restriction requirements justified the recommended action.

A commissioner moved adoption of the resolution recommending City Council approval of General Plan Amendment 2025-2345 and LCP Amendment 2025-2669, finding the action exempt from CEQA; the motion was seconded and carried on a 5-0 roll call. The commission noted there is a 14-day right of appeal and that the item will be considered by the City Council; opponents and applicants will have the opportunity to present their cases there.

The Planning Commission's recommendation does not itself change land-use entitlements; it forwards the matter to the City Council for final action. The item will appear on a future City Council agenda and remains subject to appeal and any additional review the Council elects to require.