Further Study for Festival of Arts Sound Policy for Property at and around the Irvine Bowl
Summary
SCH Number
2025070408
Public Agency
City of Laguna Beach
Document Title
Further Study for Festival of Arts Sound Policy for Property at and around the Irvine Bowl
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/10/2025
Document Description
On July 8, 2025, the City Council considered suspending the Irvine Bowl Sound Policy for three days on November 7, 8 and 9, 2025 to allow the City’s sound consultant, Rincon Consultants, Inc., the opportunity to measure and analyze sound from a real-life concert to better inform whether any changes to such Sound Policy are necessary; authorizing the additional scope of work proposed by Rincon Consultant’s, Inc. to measure and analyze sound during a real-life concert on November 7, 8, and 9, 2025; and finding the actions exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304.
On July 8, 2025, the City Council took all three recommend actions, subject to an increase in the do not exceed amount in the amount of $15,000 for the further study by the consultant, and found the actions exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304.
Contact Information
Name
Shaveta Sharma
Agency Name
Laguna Beach City
Job Title
Senior Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Orange
Regions
Southern California
Cross Streets
Laguna Canyon Road
Zip
92651
Parcel #
496-101-02
Other Location Info
650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304
Reasons for Exemption
The California Environmental Quality Act exempts minor alterations to land consisting of “minor public or private alternations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees except for forestry and agricultural purposes.” (State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304.) An example includes “minor temporary use of land having negligible or no permanent effects on the environment, including carnivals, sales of Christmas trees, etc. (Id., subdivision (e).) Here, the recommended actions consisting of the suspension of the Sound Policy for two days and the authorization to measure and analyze the sound are the “Project” in terms of CEQA. The Project falls within State CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 - Minor Alterations to Land (Class 4 categorical exemption) because it is a temporary change in allowable sound on public property as implemented by a private organization for two days and does not involve removal of any trees. It has no permanent effect on the environment because the change in allowable sound will only occur for two days from the hours of 9 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. and then the allowable sound limitations will revert back to the limit allowed in the existing Sound Policy. Further, the City’s sound measurements from simulating a concert on June 13, 2025 support that a concert of soft rock will yield results within the City’s existing Sound Policy limits. A concert is similar to a carnival because they both involve large crowds of people gathered at high-energy environments with multiple, often competing loud sounds, that usually last for only a few days, which is an example of what this categorical exemption is meant to address.
Further, none of the exceptions outlined in CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply. The Project site does not contain any environmentally sensitive areas. There will be no cumulative impact resulting from successive projects of the same type in the same place, over time, because the Project is limited to a duration of two days. There will be no damage to scenic resources, including trees, historic buildings, rock outcroppings or similar resources, within a highway officially designated as a state scenic highway in that the Project is temporary. The Project will not have a significant effect on the environment due to unusual circumstances. The Project is not located on a hazardous waste site or any other wise included on a list compiled pursuant to Government Code Section 65962.5 according to the Cortese List. The Project will not result in significant adverse impacts to historical resources as defined by CEQA as the existing structures onsite are not listed or eligible to listed on the California Register of Historical Resources or the City’s Historic Register, nor are they discretionary historical resources. Thus, the Project falls within the Class 4 exemption.
County Clerk
Orange
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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