Coastal Commission halts dance-floor use, some other activity at The Ranch
The dancing needs to stop — at least temporarily — at a portion of The Ranch at Laguna Beach in Aliso Canyon.
The California Coastal Commission issued a violation notice to owner Mark Christy on Sept. 24 after discovering that he had not secured a coastal development permit for work done in a eucalyptus grove and that important habitats might be at risk.
The commission said Christy must halt all work in the grove, which has been used for gatherings such as wedding receptions. The area is at the northeast end of the Coast Highway property, which includes a 64-room hotel and banquet facility and a nine-hole golf course.
Development of the grove has included removal of major vegetation as well as installation of a 7,000-square-foot dance floor, decomposed granite pathways, a wooden fence, turf adjacent to Aliso Creek and other ornamental vegetation, according to the notice.
“The area is surrounded by natural habitat and riparian vegetation,” said Andrew Willis, commission enforcement analyst. “We’re concerned the intensification of use might affect adjacent habitats.”
Christy wrote in an email that he is cooperating with the commission on finding a solution. Coastal staff is evaluating the extent of the potential harm to plants and wildlife in the area.
Meanwhile, Christy is dealing with a complaint related to the renovation of the hotel stucture. Laguna resident Mark Fudge has filed an appeal with the Coastal Commission, alleging possible harm to the environment and diminishment of public access.
Work in the grove, which the commission refers to as “unpermitted development,” was not part of the appealed renovation plans, but commission staff will be looking at both projects simultaneously for efficiency’s sake, Willis said.
Remodeling work has already begun on the hotel facility, which includes 23 detached, 1960s-era buildings that Christy said in a July Coastline Pilot story are in dire need of upgrades to make them fire-safe and compliant with Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.
Crews have stripped all of the hotel buildings to their wood frames in preparation for installing sprinklers and adding insulation to walls, said Christy, who received a building permit from the city in December.
He has emphasized that all remodeling work is being done within the hotel’s existing framework.
According to a July 8 letter signed by Laguna’s Community Development Director Gregory Pfost and sent to the Coastal Commission, none of the hotel improvements required a coastal development permit or any other city discretionary permits.
Christy said in an email Thursday that support for the project is strong.
More than 350 backers of the hotel renovation project turned out at the Coastal Commission meeting Wednesday in Newport Beach, said Christy, who added he has gathered thousands of signatures from supporters in an online petition.
Willis said commissioners will conduct a de novo hearing on the appeal, meaning they will consider all evidence and facts about the entire project without deferring to a prior ruling, such as the Planning Commission’s unanimous approval in May of the renovation project.