Ranch permit approved, no shuttle required

A Laguna Beach resident and businessman received permission last week to renovate the former Aliso Creek Inn & Golf Course, putting to rest challenges about the project’s potential environmental impact and whether the need for lower-cost hotel rooms in the area should have been taken into account.

The state Coastal Commission voted 9 to 1 to grant Mark Christy a coastal development permit for The Ranch at Laguna Beach, which includes 23 detached structures and a nine-hole golf course. Christy is principal owner of Laguna Beach Golf & Bungalow Village LLC, which owns The Ranch.

The project at 31106 S. Coast Hwy. was approved in May by the Laguna Beach Planning Commission, but resident Mark Fudge appealed the decision to the Coastal Commission.

Fudge raised concerns about the project causing potential environmental harm, limiting public access to recreational areas and overriding the area’s overall need for low-cost hotels.

But while the commission sided with Christy, the meeting was marked by negotiation and several concessions.

For instance, a

t one point the staff had wanted Christy to either operate a shuttle program to provide non-guests with access to Aliso Canyon or pay a $2-million fee to make up for the loss of affordable accommodations in the area.

Instead, at the suggestion of Commissioner Greg Cox, Christy will pay $250,000 to hire a consultant to design a pedestrian and bicycle trail that would help link inland areas of his property to the coastline. Several speakers at the hearing supported the idea.

In addition, the commission imposed some rules on Christy’s use of an area referred to as the Scout Camp, which Christy is willing to set aside for camping to fulfill the commission’s wish for lower-cost visitor accommodations. The former maintenance yard at the northeast end of the property will be available for group overnight camping for underprivileged youths and other campers at least 12 times a year.

But the commission decided on a 40-person cap per stay, though it is allowing up to 150 people to attend daytime events at the camp.

Major renovations are planned at the The Ranch, which will have 97 rentable rooms. Each of the 32 existing one-bedroom suites will be split into two separate rooms. The kitchens will be removed. A former residence will be converted into a suite.

Because it is part of the commission’s duty to protect and encourage access to lower-cost facilities, debate focused on whether the project would hinder that cause.

The split rooms will average between $275 on weeknights and $334 on weekends, according to the Coastal Commission’s staff report. That’s $100 to $162 more per night than the rates he was asking when Christy first took ownership in 2013.

Commissioner Jana Zimmer said the proposed trail didn’t make up for the loss of lower-cost hotel accommodations, saying, “I love the trail, but they are apples and oranges.”

Christy said the projected rates don’t tell the entire story, adding that USA Today dubbed the Aliso Creek Inn a “luxury accommodation” in a January 2014 article.

“It was never low cost,” Christy said. “It was upper to moderate tier.”

Commission staff looked into lowest-available rates, and The Ranch’s projection is about half of what luxury hotels in Laguna charge. Rooms were going for $560 per night at the Surf & Sand Resort and $595 at the Montage, the staff report says.

However, an Expedia search for a late January weekend stay showed rates as low as $79 at the Quality Inn and the Little Inn at the Beach.

Zimmer said that with the kitchens removed, a case could be made that guests would end up spending more money eating out.

Christy said he was told by a 30-year employee that Aliso Creek Inn guests rarely cooked in their rooms.

“He said they use the fridge to store beer and use the microwave to heat up popcorn,” Christy said.

“I believe he has tried hard to respect this jewel of Laguna,” Commissioner Wendy Mitchell said of Christy. “This is a situation where no good deed goes unpunished. I’m disappointed we are at this place. The kitchen sink was thrown at Christy and is not appropriate for what this project is.”

In an email after the meeting, Christy called the approved conditions acceptable.

“At the end of the day, it was reassuring that the commissioners themselves felt that logic, reason and fairness should finally have a seat at the table,” Christy said.