Posts Tagged ‘Laguna Beach’

Group urging inventoried homeowners to attend the draft ordinance hearing at Design Review Board meeting Thursday

Owners of properties listed on the city’s Historic Inventory are being urged to attend Thursday’s Design Review Board hearing on the draft Historic Preservation Ordinance. The property owners have been contacted by a letter from Let Laguna Live, a recently formed public benefit corporation. The group opposes the inclusion of all homes built before 1955…

Read More

Further Recollections on the Historic Preservation Ordinance

Anne Frank’s recent letter ignores significant historical events and misses the mark. Historic Resources Element (HRE) of the Laguna Beach General Plan was adopted in 1981 to establish “a broad framework for both public and private efforts” and to outline “an implementation program of financial and planning incentives to promote long-term appreciation and preservation of…

Read More

More Questions Over Historical Inventory

Editor, I would like to put forth some questions to Ann Frank regarding her letter on history of Historic Inventory. Who were members of city council and who were on the advisory board. One name was Arnold Hano, founding member of Village Laguna. Who hired these consultants? You state that all homeowners were notified by…

Read More

Signing on for the Nokes Historic Preservation Solution

Editor: I want to express my appreciation for Laurence P. Nokes’ excellent guest column in your Nov. 25 issue in which he provides a sensible solution not only to simplify the historic preservation rules but to make the process for adopting them more equitable. We recently discovered that our Laguna residence is identified as a “Key”…

Read More

A Solution to Simplify Historic Preservation Rules

If you own a property in Laguna Beach built before 1955, you must be concerned about the impact of the new proposed historic preservation ordinance on your property rights. Simple remodels to homes of that age are now potentially “historic” by city standards. You may have to hire an historian to prove to the city…

Read More

Hearings Begin on Reworked Historic Preservation Rules

Long-anticipated revisions to the city’s historic preservation rules will be presented by city planners to the Design Review Board on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. The Heritage Committee wrapped up a years-long study of the ordinance Sept. 28. While the focus of the current meeting is to discuss the…

Read More

Risk, Rewards In Refining Historic Preservation Rules

A retired firefighter who spent his career protecting others is now being forced to defend his property rights from an assault led by a small but vocal group seeking to declare his private home a “historic resource” and freeze it in time. During the last of several hearings conducted by the Laguna Beach Heritage Committee…

Read More

Laws May Broaden What’s Deemed Historic

Keeping aging buildings true to their historic nature is nothing short of a frustrating and nebulous task, as evidenced during a meeting of the city’s Heritage Committee. The committee met to review the first draft of a new historic preservation ordinance last Thursday, June 16. When it comes to issues such as defining different levels…

Read More

City is messing with our property rights

I decided to attend a Sept. 15 meeting in I the council chambers at Laguna Beach City Hall after I heard about a serious dilemma involving a couple I represented as a real estate broker 17 years ago. I was totally amazed at how many residents attended and what I heard from those gathered about…

Read More