Posts by MA

My South Laguna cottage: How I regained my property rights

My house was built around 1930 by my family. It was fondly called the barn, because it really was. Not much was ever done on the interior. It was a single-wall construction summer cottage. No indoor shower, no phone, sub wood floors, no heater, no interior doors except for the bathrooms. Over the years, the…

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Opponents of Preservation Rules Solidify Resistance

Laguna Beach Independent April 19, 2017 Opponents of Preservation Rules Solidify Resistance BY CASSANDRA REINHART, SPECIAL TO THE INDEPENDENT The flags atop the design review story poles still standing at 31987 Coast Highway are as faded as Hany Dimitri’s enthusiasm for the $6.3 million property. “I have paid hundreds of thousands to do this. They…

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Planners Step Away from Tighter Historic Rules

Planners Step Away from Tighter Historic Rules BY CASSANDRA REINHART, SPECIAL TO THE INDEPENDENT Members of the Laguna Beach Planning Commission are questioning the benefit of keeping so-called C-rated properties on the city’s 1981 historic inventory, and some questioned keeping the inventory at all. Debate over new revisions to the city’s historic preservation ordinance stretched…

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Response to City FAQ by Larry Nokes

  RESPONSE TO CITY “FAQ” By Laurence P. Nokes, Esq. And Let Laguna Live! A.    Introduction We have received and reviewed the City’s “FAQ” letter sent to people who own homes listed on City’s Historic Inventory. While we believe the document was “well intentioned,” it is based on 2 false premises: 1) That houses on…

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Presentation to the Planning Commission by Barbara Smith

As I look out of my windows, I see rows and rows of enormous homes. They are beautiful and unique in their own way. These homes were built by individuals who had the means to make substantial improvements. Time after time, all of the small cottages in my neighborhood were sold, torn down and new…

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