LAGUNA BEACH : Planners Delay Smithcliffs Ruling

The County Planning Commission has again delayed a decision on a 26-home development proposed for an ocean bluff next to Laguna Beach.

Commissioners agreed to resume discussing the project next Tuesday after failing to agree on whether public access to an ocean viewpoint should be a part of the final plan.

It was the fourth public hearing on development plans for the 10-acre Smithcliffs property, which is between Laguna Beach and the unincorporated Emerald Bay community. The development has been opposed by Laguna Beach, nearby neighbors and environmentalists concerned about the monarch butterfly, which roosts each winter on the property.

The commission has been considering two plans, one with a street that runs alongside Laguna Beach homes at the south end of the Smithcliffs property and one without a street. Both plans also have a pedestrian pathway along the south border leading to a viewpoint area.

Public access is required by the Emerald Bay Local Coastal Program, which governs the project. However, to reduce the impact a public walkway would have on Laguna Beach residents whose homes are next to the project, the commission is considering other options, including whether to require the developer to pay a fee to provide public access elsewhere.