LAGUNA BEACH : Council Rejects Plans for Aliso Rock Home

Edward Bowler’s 20-year dream of building a home on an oceanfront parcel dominated by a huge rock has again been blocked by what is turning out to be an even more formidable obstacle: the Laguna Beach design approval process.

The City Council, which has said that the El Cajon dentist should be able to build on his property, this week rejected Bowler’s current plans, which call for a two-story home to be built inside the craggy Aliso Rock. The council decided in a 3-2 vote that the proposed 3,000-square-foot house is too big and should be shaved back on the side facing the ocean.

“I’m discouraged,” Bowler said Thursday. “That was our eighth public hearing.”

The unique design was first rejected by the city’s Design Review Board in January. The City Council, however, later said the property owner should be allowed to build in the rock and returned the plan to the review board, which granted conditional approval last month.

At that point, however, Councilwoman Ann Christoph appealed the plan, saying the proposed house is too large for the site.

After considerable debate Tuesday, Mayor Robert F. Gentry and Councilwoman Lida Lenney joined with Christoph in voting to reject the plan. It will now go back to the Design Review Board.

Bowler and Newport Beach architect Brion Jeannette, who created the design, said they will meet with council members to make sure they understand what changes must be made to gain city approval. Bowler said he still believes that the house will be built.

“We were very surprised the council objected,” Bowler said. “We were really pleased the Design Review Board passed us. We thought we were home free.”

Some residents say Aliso Rock is a historical landmark that should be purchased by the city and preserved as is.

In other action, the council unanimously approved plans to open the county’s only park specifically for dogs. The park proposal grew out of a debate over whether dogs should be allowed to run off leash on city beaches during specific times.

Instead, the council decided to open a fenced dog park where pets can run unrestrained. The plan is being spearheaded by RUFF, a group of local dog owners, which will donate $1,000 to help prepare the park, at 20652 Laguna Canyon Road. The park is expected to open in October.