City Council approves overnight camping at The Ranch at Laguna Beach
This eucalyptus tree grove is in the back of the property at The Ranch. The Laguna Beach City Council has approved overnight camping at The Ranch.
The Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday upheld the Planning Commission’s approval for overnight camping on an Aliso Canyon resort.
In a unanimous vote, the council affirmed the commission’s decision to allow camping within a portion of The Ranch at Laguna Beach, a private property at 31106 S. Coast Hwy. that includes a golf course and hotel.
The resort’s owners, Laguna Beach Golf and Bungalow Village, LLC, were required to add camping to their 84-acre property under a directive from the California Coastal Commission, which signed off on the Ranch’s renovation in January 2015. The Coastal Commission’s approval came with the caveat that because the Ranch’s upgrade would cause the loss of lower-cost visitor accommodations, adding affordable camping options would compensate for it.
The Coastal Commission limited how often the Ranch could host campers. The panel ruled that no more than 40 people could camp overnight, and that the resort must host at least 12 camping groups per year.
The number of overnight camping and/or daytime events may not exceed 12 per month. Daytime events can have a maximum 150 guests.
------------
FOR THE RECORD
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that daytime events were limited to a maximum of 150 guests, 12 times per year. In fact, the number of overnight camping and/or daytime events may not exceed 12 per month. Daytime events can have a maximum 150 guests.
------------
In September, the city Planning Commission approved the Ranch’s camping plans on a 2-acre site formerly used as a maintenance and storage area. Soon after, however, Laguna resident Mark Fudge appealed the decision, alleging multiple faults.
In a letter to the city and during Tuesday’s meeting, Fudge claimed city staff failed to prove that the proposed camping area, dubbed Scout Camp, was a legal building site, and that City Hall did not adequately address its impact on the environment under the guidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Fudge said because the area contains sensitive habitat and is susceptible to landslides and fires, it needed more environmental study than what occurred.
City planner Scott Drapkin said that staff did consider environmental impacts on the project, as it does for all projects.
“In this situation, the use is a negligible expansion over existing conditions,” he said, adding that the Ranch would not be allowed to host another event on-site, such as a wedding, at the same time as camping.
Fudge, citing the city’s municipal code, also said the city should not have permitted the camping area until Laguna Beach Golf and Bungalow Village dedicates a portion of its land for public access.
Representatives from the company said they are doing just that, and have agreed to pay a consultant $250,000 to design a publicly accessible pedestrian and bicycle trail that would link inland areas of the Ranch to the coast.
The Planning Commission approved the resort’s renovation in 2014. The project increased the number of available rooms from 64 to 97, while reconfiguring a restaurant and adding a spa and fitness center. Thirty-two rooms of the hotel, formerly known as the Aliso Creek Inn, were split in half to create double the rental spaces.
Fudge appealed that decision to the Coastal Commission and later sued the commission and the city.
Twitter: @AldertonBryce
