O.C. judge rules that Laguna Beach erred in exemption for resort’s ‘Scout Camp’ plans

An Orange County Superior Court judge ruled this week that the city of Laguna Beach wrongly exempted a local resort’s project from proper environmental review.

Laguna resident Mark Fudge contended in a complaint, first filed in 2016, that the city bypassed environmental review for the Scout Camp section of The Ranch at Laguna Beach, an 84-acre resort in Aliso Canyon offering golf, lodging and event space.

The resort’s owner, Laguna Beach Golf & Bungalow Village, sought to make the 2-acre Scout Camp an event space for weddings, fundraisers, yoga, gardening, overnight camping and other uses. Part of the request included permission for outdoor lighting.

The space got its name from its 1960s-era use as a camping and event space for the YMCA, Girl Scouts and others. But by the 1970s, it fell into disrepair and became a dumping ground and maintenance yard until 2013, when Laguna Beach Golf & Bungalow Village bought the property.

In his ruling Tuesday, Judge William Claster noted that Scout Camp had already been modified without proper City Hall approvals and un-permitted events were already taking place.

Claster also ruled the Scout Camp was not a legal building site and should not have been previously exempted from environmental review of its owner’s plans. He also noted that there were no records comparing the site’s existing and proposed new uses to help determine if an exemption could be applied.

Laguna Beach officials declined to comment on the ruling. A city attorney added that the City Council has not reviewed the matter and has “several options to consider.”

In a statement, Fudge, whose objections were joined by the Sierra Club and Sea and Sage Audubon Society, called the ruling “a wake-up call to the City Council and city manager to take a new direction to protect our precious gift of Aliso Canyon, or be voted out. The city’s legal expenses are better spent for public services we desperately need, for our police, firefighters and teachers.

“Together, we can be faithful stewards of our coastal environment and pass this unique gift on to our children.”

Fudge has previously challenged remodeling and renovation of The Ranch, formerly the Aliso Creek Inn and Golf Course.

In 2015, he filed a complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court over environmental review of the property, but ultimately lost in both trial court and on appeal.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint