Mozambique dining plan, car lifts rejected; Rock’n Fish rooftop deck OK’d

The Laguna Beach Planning Commission on Wednesday rejected a proposal by a controversial restaurant to reopen a large dining area and install car lifts to offset an increase in demand for parking.

The proposal by Mozambique Steakhouse is the latest in a years-long string of moves by the restaurant and lounge that have drawn fire from nearby residents who say the business is too big for what is largely a quiet residential area.

Installing 16 car lifts, architect Marshall Ininns told commissioners, would allow the restaurant enough parking space to reopen a ground-floor dining area that had been closed in exchange for the opening of a rooftop lounge. The exchange had negated the need to increase parking spaces.

“It is a business that’s been operating for years for hundreds of people,” Ininns told the panel. “To reduce it, at this point, it just shouldn’t be happening. The building should be able to be used.”

Neighbors of the location at 1740 S. Coast Hwy. have complained that it is significantly short on parking and that its rooftop veranda blocks their views.

Mozambique’s operators say they have made adjustments to accommodate those concerns, but residents told commissioners that reopening the dining space would exacerbate problems that haven’t actually been solved.

Ultimately, the three commissioners who voted on the issue — Norm Grossman, Linda Dietrich and Ken Sadler — rejected the proposal for the parking lifts and dining room reopening but approved some landscaping and signage changes the restaurant also had brought before the panel.

Chairwoman Anne Johnson was absent, and Commissioner Robert Zur Schmiede recused himself because the applicants had contributed to his City Council campaign.

The parking lifts, Sadler said, would be in a highly visible spot near the entrance. “It would look horrible,” he said. “There’s just no other way to say it.”

The restaurant’s attorney, Larry Nokes, said Thursday morning that operator Ivan Spiers hadn’t decided whether to appeal the decision to the City Council.

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Rock’n Fish gets OK

Another restaurant’s proposal was better received, both by residents and commissioners. The panel endorsed plans for a new rooftop deck at Rock’n Fish in the downtown Heisler building.

A breezy rooftop hangout for patrons of the restaurant, at 422 S. Coast Hwy., would be a prime example of the “adaptive reuse” of a historical space in an evolving business climate, proponents of the plan said.

“This is a catalyst for how we can make this town a better place,” said Ken Fischbeck, a member of the city Heritage Committee. “People like [building owner] Sam Goldstein have a vision for what this town could be.”

Planning commissioners reviewed a revised plan Wednesday evening for a rooftop deck accessible by two staircases and two wheelchair lifts, rather than an elevator, as originally proposed.

A string of residents told commissioners they would be thrilled to have another rooftop option in the downtown area. But others decried the idea as insensitive to the building’s history and said the deck would infringe on views — always an issue in a city famous for sweeping ocean vistas.

Maureen Maher, who said she has lived behind the Heisler building for a decade, said the deck would contribute to the “cesspool” that downtown Laguna has become.

“We just don’t need more people getting drunk in downtown Laguna Beach on a Saturday night,” she said, drawing grumbles from some audience members.

After discussion about the size and number of umbrellas that should be allowed on the proposed deck, and debate on the specifics of a guardrail, commissioners voted 2 to 1 to send the proposal to the City Council.

Zur Schmiede again recused himself because the applicants had contributed to his campaign.

Grossman said that with careful planning, initiatives like the rooftop deck are good ways to encourage property owners to “spend money while getting something out of it.”

Dietrich joined Grossman in supporting the plan.

Sadler voted against it, saying the proposal required rule exceptions that were justifiable only as ways for business owners to maximize profit, which isn’t the commission’s role, he added.