CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

The following is from the June 17 Laguna Beach City Council meeting. Councilman Kelly Boyd was absent.

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Fire Department purchases 4-0

The council approved the purchase of 37 new Scott Self Contained Breathing apparatuses and three “missing firefighter” location devices, funded by a $170,739 Homeland Security grant and $20,827 from the department’s 2008-09 budget. A $54,000 expenditure to purchase three new cardiac monitors, changing stations and supplies also was approved.

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WHAT IT MEANS

Firefighters will be better equipped for their own protection and the city’s.

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Brussels Bistro bustling 4-0

The council approved a request for amplified music and dancing two nights a week at Brussels Bistro on Forest Avenue. Staff expressed concerns about allowing another downtown establishment to have amplified music, analyzed by staff as likely to create a significant negative impact in an saturated area without sufficient parking for increase patronage, and the approved permit includes 48 conditions.

WHAT IT MEANS

Tables will be moved and chairs stacked to create a 300 square-foot dance floor at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

Complaints could trigger a review of the CUP or even revocation.

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Fountain donation 4-0

The council instructed the city manager to explore the possibility of installing the necessary piping now or later for a fountain on the upper patio of the Community/Senior Center.

Frank was approached by Lee Winocur Field at a Woman’s Club function with a proposal to donate a fountain.

“We have to find out if we need to put in the plumbing now,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Pearson, who favors a water feature on the patio.

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WHAT IT MEANS

Chris Quilter, president of Laguna Beach Seniors Inc., said the group has not discussed the proposal and would prefer to postpone any decision until the center is up and running. And a major art installation at the site is still undecided, he said.

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Farmers’ Market hours extended 4-0

A proposal by Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Kinsman to amend the permit for the Farmer’s Market to allow operations to continue till noon during the summer was approved. Currently, the market is required to close at 11 a.m. during Festival Season, to make way for tourist parking.

“The market has absolutely become an institution in town,” Kinsman said. “Lots of locals shop there, and it would be helpful for those of us who are not morning people if it could stay open until noon all year round.

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WHAT IT MEANS

Night owls rejoice. That extra hour means you don’t have to get up so early to shop at the market. And it is good news for the vendors too.

“[Summer] is the high season for farmers,” resident Anne Frank said.

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Signs of the times 4-0

Mayor Jane Egly appealed the Planning Commission approval of a proposed 5-foot-high, double-sided sign for Sumitara Global Inc. at 3305 Laguna Canyon Road.

Egly said the sign was not compatible with the surroundings.

The applicant said the sign was the company’s logo, important to its image.

Pearson opined that a change in materials and color scheme would make the sign more compatible with the canyon ambience.

WHAT IT MEANS

Staff was directed to work with the applicant, based on council direction to use a material consistent with the environment, limit the number of colors and keep the height as five feet or less with lettering reduced proportionately.

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Spa appeal denied 4-0

The council sustained a Planning Commission approval of a proposed spa and fencing in the Arch Beach Heights Specific Plan area. A neighbor appealed the approval, citing concerns about drainage and the location of the fence. The appellant contended that no construction should be permitted until property-related disputes be resolved. City Atty. Philip Kohn said the council should not consider any issues other than the design review criteria in the Municipal Code.

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WHAT IT MEANS

The property owner at 820 Acapulco St. will be allowed to build the spa, conditioned on an increase in permeable surface area, drainage directed to the street, and landscaping to replace the rocks behind the spa.

The applicant was advised that the improvements might have to be removed if the appellant prevailed in a civil action.

“” Barbara Diamond