Mediated church project wins out

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church at 428 Park Ave. won approval of a controversial project Tuesday on a technicality.

The City Council split 2-2 on a motion to deny an appeal of the church’s proposed replacement for its badly deteriorated Guild Hall. A tie vote is an automatic “no,” which meant approval of the plans for the project, which was dramatically revised after church and neighbors met with aid of a professional mediator.

Councilwomen Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider voted with council newcomer Kelly Boyd to deny the appeal.

“It’s not perfect,” Pearson-Schneider said. “I’d like to have a small church with a big parking lot, but I am willing to accept this with the modifications made during mediation.”

Councilwoman Cheryl Kinsman recused herself from the deliberations because she owns property in the area.

Mediation meetings were held at the request of the council, which advised church officials in August to resolve issues with neighbors before asking the council to make a decision.

The facilitated meeting resulted in a reduction in the size of the proposed multipurpose building from 7,800 square feet to 6,950 square feet, still about 50% larger than the structure it will replace.

Other modifications:

Church parking will be distributed throughout the neighborhood, including the use of the Laguna Beach Unified School District parking lot on weekends and lease agreements with downtown property owners.

If the leases lapse, council approval of the conditional use permit may be revoked.

Pearson-Schneider also was concerned about parking.

“But I have to say the church has jumped through hoops,” she said.

“We suggested that they go to the Parking, Traffic and Circulation Committee, and they went to the PTC. We suggested they get a facilitator, and they got one. We suggested they modify the style, and they did.

“I think they have done everything we asked them to do, and I support denying the appeal, with the modifications made during mediation.”

Twenty-five speakers testified at the hearing, the majority opposed to the project as proposed. Councilwoman Jane Egly also thought the proposal needed further refinement.

“I think the church should reduce the size even more,” Egly said. “I think a neighbor losing a whole view is wrong.”

Neighbor Ron Kaufman, whose main ocean view will be obliterated by the new building, was not appeased by changes in the design, which gave him a blue water view from his lower story office. He lobbied hard for the appeal.

Carter Mudge, a junior warden at the church who grew up in Laguna Beach, said that when Kaufman’s home was built by the same designer and builder as the church and Guild Hall an ocean view was not an expectation. The view was obscured for 19 years until a building blocking it was removed more than two decades ago.

“We’ve loaned Ron Kaufman our view for 25 years,” Mudge said. “We want it back.”

Iseman, who chided Mudge for his comment, cast one of the two votes to deny the appeal.

The motion to deny the appeal included a stipulation that noise in the church be limited to 65 decibels at the source and a requirement that the church attempt to fix Kaufman’s view, which will come back to the council for review.