City puts brakes on St. Mary’s proposal

Neighbors object to plans for a new multipurpose building; the city’s parking and traffic committee will study the church’s request.The City Council’s concerns about traffic and parking have stalled the proposed expansion of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Park Avenue.

The council voted 4-0 to remand the church proposal to the city’s parking, traffic and circulation committee for review and to make recommendations to the planning commission, which had already approved the project.

Councilwoman Jane Egly had appealed the approval.

Church officials propose to tear down the current Guild Hall and replace it with a new 7,840-square-foot multipurpose building at 455 Mermaid St., an ancillary structure to the church.

City law does not require additional parking when ancillary space is increased.

“I was on the planning commission years ago when we wanted to change the code to require churches to [provide parking] for ancillary uses, and the council overturned us,” Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider said.

“Do I think the project will create more traffic and congestion? Absolutely, but the commission worked with the parameters the council set.”

Councilwoman Toni Iseman said action that could be considered not church-friendly is brave; she applauded Egly for appealing the project.

“I appealed this based on community concerns about parking, the hours of operation, the size and mass of the structure, the height variance and the alley traffic with the terrible exit onto Third Street,” Egly said.

Church neighbor Ronald Kaufman said the church does not have enough parking right now, let alone enough to accommodate more activity.

Parking and traffic consultant Tony Petros said parking needs are addressed by off-site parking arrangements to use the Laguna Beach Unified School District parking lot on Blumont Street and the Assistance League of Laguna Beach, located on Glenneyre Street.

“The traffic and circulation study is flawed,” Kaufman said. “There is no agreement with the school district to use the district lot, which is in use on Sundays by another church and used for night-school classes. The Assistance League has given verbal permission to the applicants, but the lot is chained up on Sundays and evenings.”

Egly said plans for expansion will mean activity on the church property every day and night of the week.

“There is already no parking in the neighborhood 24/7,” resident John Beresford said. “We don’t need anything this large.”

Mermaid Street resident Jane Griffith said access to her home is from the alley.

“On Sundays, there is no access,” Griffith said. “Normally, I can’t get out of my garage on Sundays and I can’t have any visitors.”

Barbara Metzger, speaking on behalf of Village Laguna, said the organization is interested in the church proposal because of the historic value of the Guild Hall, set to be demolished.

“We think it is worth preserving,” Metzger said.

The church proposal has been in the works for five years.

“All the issues have been raised ad nauseum,” Senior Church Warden Tom Davis said.

Architect Morris Skenderian, a board member of the senior condominium project on the corner of Third and Mermaid streets, supported the requested height variance because of the topography of the property. He also supported the craftsman-style design of the proposed building.

Councilman Steven Dicterow said the city must ensure that 250 people are not in the church at the same time that another 250 people are using the ancillary building, and project proponents must take into account the impacts of the upcoming construction of the Senior/Community Center and high school traffic.

“I appreciate the time and effort spent explaining all this [project], but it is beyond my comprehension that you can add 3,000 square feet to that site and activities,” Egly said. “You’ve go the wrong site for this building that will be a magnet for people.”

No date was set for the parking committee to conclude its study.