Parcel Map 2026-0865 and Coastal Development Permit 2026-0954
Summary
SCH Number
2026070563
Public Agency
City of Laguna Beach
Document Title
Parcel Map 2026-0865 and Coastal Development Permit 2026-0954
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/15/2026
Document Description
Tentative Parcel Map 2026-0865 and Coastal Development Permit 2026-0954 merging four lots located at 340 St. Ann’s Drive into two lots within the Local Business Professional (LBP) and Residential Medium Density (R-2) zones.
Contact Information
Name
Shaveta Sharma
Agency Name
City of Laguna Beach
Job Title
Senior Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Liane Takano
Agency Name
Related California
Job Title
Executive Vice President
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Laguna Beach
Counties
Orange
Regions
Southern California
Cross Streets
Bonded by Glenneyre Street, St. Ann's Drive, and Catalina Street
Zip
92651
Parcel #
644-034-05, 644-034-09
Other Location Info
340 St. Ann’s Drive, Laguna Beach, CA, 92651
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Government Code Sections 65913.16(c), (b)(12)(B), and 65913.16(l)(7)
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed merger is being processed in conjunction with the previously approved Housing Development Project and associated Site Improvements approved by the Planning Commission on June 3, 2026. In acting on the Housing Development Project and associated Site Improvements, the Planning Commission relied on the prior environmental analysis prepared for the City’s adopted Housing Element, including the Housing Element Initial Study/Negative Declaration, for which the City Council approved the Housing Element on January 11, 2022, with a Notice of Determination filed on January 25, 2022.
As part of that prior analysis, the subject property was identified in the City’s Housing Element site inventory as a key opportunity site for affordable housing. The Housing Element environmental review contemplated redevelopment of the site with affordable residential uses, including the retention of church uses on-site, and analyzed development capacity for residential construction on the property. The approved Housing Development Project proposes 29 residential units, together with associated Site Improvements and the Merger, which fall within the development assumptions previously evaluated in the Housing Element Initial Study/Negative Declaration.
Accordingly, the proposed Merger does not require new environmental review because it is part of the same project previously analyzed and approved, and the City has not identified: (1) substantial changes to the project requiring major revisions to the previous environmental document due to new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified effects; (2) substantial changes in the circumstances under which the project is being undertaken that would require major revisions to the previous environmental document; or (3) new information of substantial importance showing new or more severe significant effects that could not have been known when the prior negative declaration was adopted. Under Public Resources Code Section 21166 and State CEQA Guidelines Section 15162, when those circumstances are absent, no subsequent or supplemental environmental review is required.
The proposed Merger is therefore within the scope of the prior CEQA determination for the Housing Development Project and associated Site Improvements, and the City may rely on that prior environmental analysis for purposes of taking action on the Merger. The Merger is being processed as an implementing action for the previously approved Housing Development Project and does not alter the nature, intensity, or environmental effects of the underlying development in a manner that would trigger further CEQA review. Notably, the Housing Development Project and the Planning Commission’s approval of the same specifically contemplated the Merger, and Planning Commission-adopted Resolution No. 2026-0865 includes Condition No. 14 to require the Applicant to receive City Council approval of this Tentative Parcel Map 2026-0865 and Coastal Development Permit 2026-0954.
As an independent and alternative basis, the Planning Commission also found that the Housing Development Project component of the project qualifies for streamlined, ministerial treatment under the Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act of 2023, Government Code section 65913.16, because the Housing Development Project satisfies the eligibility criteria and objective development standards as allowed by that statute and the Density Bonus Law. A qualifying housing development project approved as a “use by right” under Government Code section 65913.16 is not a “project” for purposes of CEQA. (Gov. Code, §65913.16(c), (b)(12)(B).) In addition, the Merger component of the project was found statutorily exempt from CEQA pursuant to Government Code section 65913.16, subdivision (l)(7), because the Merger is consistent with the objective subdivision standards in Chapter 21.08 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code and Density Bonus Law.
County Clerk
Orange
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.