Now That’s a House of a Different Color

It seemed like a good choice at the time.

Last year, Nick Karagozian and the local arbiters of style--the Laguna Beach Design Review Board--finally reached agreement on a color scheme for the exterior of the hillside home that Karagozian and his then-fiancee, now-wife Denise were building.

They agreed on the exterior color, “desert sandstone.” Not eggshell or off-white or cream, but sandstone.

But last summer, when it came time to buy paint, Nick Karagozian said, he went with “shell white,” which he thought was close enough.

It wasn’t. It was too white, according to the review board, which has refused to give final approval to the house. Without that OK the city will not allow utility service. The home remains vacant.

“I thought, this is crazy,” Denise Karagozian said. “This house is turning into a nightmare.”

Last Tuesday, fighting for what they considered a principle, the couple took their case to the City Council. The appeal was rejected 4 to 0.

Critics of the Design Review Board say the Karagozians’ situation represents an ongoing problem in Laguna Beach. The five-member board, they say, has too much power and consists of City Council appointees who may not have experience in building design. City officials, however, say the board exists to make sure that new homes fit into existing communities.

In Laguna Beach, every new building, every second-story addition and most projects that increase a home’s floor space by more than 50% must have the Design Review Board’s blessing.

At least four of the five City Council members would have to approve a decision to overturn a design review denial.

Last month, local architects formed the Architectural Guild of Laguna Beach to try to streamline the approval process, which they say is burdensome and arbitrary.

Newport Beach architect Brion Jeannette, a member of the American Institute of Architects, said the process is more onerous in Laguna Beach than in other area cities with design review boards. In Laguna, board members can withhold approval of a project even if it meets all codes.

“It’s a tough situation for us down here,” architect Christian Abel said. “People walk out of there shaking their heads and saying, ‘Why do these people have this kind of power?’ ”

But Design Review Board Chairwoman Barbara Metzger said the board is just doing its job.

“Our direction comes from the . . . municipal code and the general plan,” she said.

“The applicant agreed to do it in ‘desert sandstone’ and that’s the way it was approved,” Metzger said. “We’re pretty serious about having things done the way they’ve been approved.”

But Nick Karagozian feels he was double-crossed.

After he had painted the home, a neighbor complained. Karagozian took the matter to the city’s community development director, Kyle Butterwick, who agreed that “shell white” was a close-enough substitute for “sandstone.” Butterwick, all sides agree, has authority to allow minor changes like that.

But the neighbor continued to complain, which prompted yet another hearing before the Design Review Board--the fifth for this house--at which Butterwick’s OK was overturned.

“This makes me angrier than anything,” Karagozian said.

Now the couple are considering the options. They can repaint the house in the darker shade or go to court. Whichever their choice, Karagozian said, their dream has soured.

“The thing of it is, it should be a pleasant experience,” he said. “It should have been fun, it should have been exciting. But all of that was taken away.”