Review Panels Vary, but Laguna’s Seems Toughest

Before the Laguna Beach Design Review Board had the power to determine the color of people’s houses, Mayor Neil G. Fitzpatrick got a slew of phone calls from an irate resident who complained that a house being constructed next door resembled a big, ugly hotel.

“The neighbors looked at it, I looked at it, other people in the city looked at it and we said, ‘This is wrong.’ But we couldn’t do anything about it,” Fitzpatrick recalled.

That was eight years ago. The house met the city’s code requirements and still stands.

But those phone calls, as well as others about new houses blocking ocean views, prompted the city to extend the reach of its design board--from commercial projects to every new building in town.

Formed in the early 1970s, the city’s Design Review Board has five members appointed by the City Council. Some members of the board have architectural or construction-industry experience, but such a professional background is not required for appointment.

For a stipend of $120 a month, members meet every Thursday and consider an average of 17 projects each time, according to Kyle Butterwick, director of community development.

With input from residents and community groups, the board must approve not only every new building, but also every second-story addition and most projects that increase a home’s floor space by more than 50%. The board also reviews advertising signs, as well as home and business remodelings. In deciding to approve or reject a project, the board considers size, materials, color, landscaping and other design elements, and whether the project fits in with the surrounding neighborhood.

The board can order changes. Decisions can be appealed to the City Council, where four votes are needed to overturn the review board’s rejection of a project. It takes three votes to overturn the board’s design approvals.

Critics of the Design Review Board charge that it is burdensome and arbitrary, and because it can take years, the design review process can be costly as well.

But city officials defend the board as an attempt to preserve the city’s unique character and charm.

“One of the things that is especially true of Laguna is that the existing town is so extremely desirable,” said board member Meg Roozen. “That’s one of the reasons people visit it so often and the Design Review Board protects that character and architectural fabric.”

Though some other cities in the county have similar boards, most handle the design-review process at the Planning Commission, staff or City Council level.

No design-review panels in the county, though, have generated as much controversy as Laguna’s.

In Huntington Beach, the design-review board has had only one decision appealed in 18 years, according to Sergio Martinez, secretary for the board, which consists of two community members, a staff member, a planning commissioner and a City Council member.

“What we’re trying to do is serve the community, not make trouble,” Martinez said.

Those cities that do have design-review boards generally have powers much more narrow than those of the Laguna board.

For example, in Costa Mesa, Fullerton and Anaheim, design review is limited to certain neighborhoods. In Newport Beach, the Planning Commission looks at a drawing of the front of the building but does not consider other design elements, said Craig Bluell, a city planner.

In Laguna Beach, city officials encourage a variety of architectural styles in an attempt to maintain the community’s eclectic atmosphere.

But that’s not true everywhere.

San Clemente’s design review board checks all commercial structures to make sure that they fit within the official guidelines for Spanish Colonial Revival Style.

Some communities, such as Mission Viejo, feature buildings so similar in appearance that it looks as if a strong design-review board was at work. But in reality, homeowners associations there have dictated the style, structure and color of homes.