LAGUNA BEACH : City Sues to Block Smithcliffs Project

The city has sued the county to block a 26-home development approved for an ocean bluff.

The suit seeks to overturn a string of decisions by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the Orange County Board of Supervisors and the Irvine Ranch Water District which have paved the way for the 10.4-acre Smithcliffs project.

City officials have long maintained that they should have some say in the development of the land, which is owned by Brinderson Real Estate Group and is located in an unincorporated area at the north edge of Laguna Beach. The city says the project provides inadequate beach access and will create traffic problems, block views and strain city services because Laguna’s police, fire and paramedic crews would respond to emergency calls in the new community.

In addition, the plan will disturb a roosting area for migrating monarch butterflies, City Manager Kenneth C. Frank said.

Environmental documents did not list “viable alternatives,” such as having the project annexed to the city, building the homes without grading the entire site and allowing fewer homes to preserve the butterfly habitat, Frank said.

But Steven Fink, a spokesman for the property owner, said county and LAFCO officials have carefully examined the project and environmental documents and found them to be “adequate and responsible.”

“Ken Frank is way off base,” Fink said. “He’s just hellbent and determined to waste taxpayer’s money to pursue this thing.”

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Orange County Superior Court. Last month, the city appealed the development approval to the California Coastal Commission. The city has not been advised of a hearing date for that appeal.