It’s ironic that historians have to sue for their future.
Village Laguna, the Laguna Beach Historic Preservation Coalition, and Preserve Orange County are suing the Coastal Commission over the future of history.
Essentially, they are upset that the City of Laguna wants to loosen the rules involving historical buildings. They also believe that recent parking changes with the Downtown Specific Plan will result in environmental problems.
It’s a lot to unpack but here’s the thumbnail: Laguna’s preservationists will do anything to keep the city’s history intact. Not only that, they want that history to live in perpetuity.
In some ways, you can’t blame them. Their enemies (developers) are not always keen on history.
Let’s be real. If left to their own devices, most developers take the path of least resistance. Keep costs down, push the letter of the law, schmooze when needed.
There are exceptions but I’ve never met one.
Meanwhile, this latest battle is interesting because it doesn’t pit a developer against preservationists. The preservationist is suing the environmentalist in the hopes of thwarting a possible developer in the future.
Here’s where it gets a little complicated.
Village Laguna, the Laguna Beach Historic Preservation Coalition, and Preserve Orange County (aka the “preservationists”) believe that the Coastal Commission (the “environmentalist”) allowed the City of Laguna too much leeway in deciding two things: 1.) How historical buildings can be managed, and 2.) How much parking downtown businesses can enjoy.
The first issue dates back several years when the city embarked on a plan to better inventory historical buildings and houses. There was a lot of back-and-forth between property owners who worried that the historical designation could hamstring any modifications or selling opportunities.
We will skip to the punch line: The city finally said in February that the designation would be voluntary, which made the preservations go ballistic – ergo, the lawsuit.
Truth be told, no one wants to be historical, just as no one wants to be really old. Even the preservationists agree that in this case, historical is problematic – for developers.
“Absent relief from this court, consequences would be grave,” according to the lawsuit. “Property owners with plans to clear valuable coastal lots for new buildings would likely oppose rather than consent to historic status.”
True to form, things tend to get histrionic in lawsuits.
“Deserving properties would not be identified and owners would not be required to explore options for feasible, cost-effective expansion and restoration of historic homes and downtown buildings,” the suit says. “They would instead be remodeled or demolished under the LCP (Local Coastal Program) Amendments that facilitate needless, irreversible damage to Laguna’s charming village character and historic legacy.”
So basically, the world would fall apart.
As for downtown, that issue seems like more of a stretch. Again, to summarize, the city loosened the parking requirements (marginally) for businesses, and somehow the preservationists believe that it’s an issue worthy of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Unlikely, but we will see what the San Francisco County Superior Court says. The case was filed in San Francisco because that’s where CEQA is headquartered.
Remember that CEQA’s mission is big. It helps “prevent significant, avoidable environmental damage.” On the surface, this suit does not meet that standard – not even close.
Parts of this case are interesting, but it’s unfortunate that any of it had to go to court. Consistent with Laguna’s DNA, all of this has been discussed and negotiated for years. The outcome was applauded by civic leaders, business groups and the public as a good compromise.
And yet, here we are.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with fighting bad laws. Just as there’s nothing wrong with preserving the best of ourselves. Good history helps create a better future.
In this case, many historical buildings or homes in Laguna are lovely and worth keeping. But some were bad from the start. It’s OK to know the difference.
If this lawsuit fails, is history really at risk in Laguna? Probably not.
Is the change to “voluntary” designation a concern? Probably.
But let’s wait and see what the judge says. Stay tuned.
