We support, in concept, the Neighborhood Congregational Church planned affordable housing. We voiced our support to a friend who is a NCC member. Once we received details from the Related California report to the city, which proposed a 72-unit project with an overall size and scale beyond anything imagined – we were quite shocked.
Our concern is its size and scale. We would be equally apprehensive about this project if 72 luxury apartments or a hotel were proposed for this site.
We realize SB4 allows for maximizing the number of units and a fast-tracked approval process. This new law, we’re sure, will work well in most cities in the state. Laguna, however, is a very small, compact community. There is no other 72-unit apartment building in or close to the Village area— in fact, it will be the largest building in the Village.
New buildings in our small community are best designed and sited so “they fit in.” They work best when they don’t dominate the landscape but rather blend in. Based on documents presented to the city, a three-story structure atop a “platform” doesn’t blend with its surroundings. Out-of-scale buildings – as this proposed building is – can damage a community. It sets a precedent for future developers to ask for variances for oversized three-story buildings. On the other hand, good quality buildings that relate to their surroundings create a good community spirit. People want to live in Laguna because it captures the spirit of an authentic, beautiful town.
The photographs in the Related California report showcase many large-scale projects that they have designed and built. Our concern is that none of their large projects pictured were built in a small, unique community like Laguna. Most are functional buildings with no hint of decoration, which work in a city such as Irvine but are not easily transferable to Laguna. The exception is Alice Court (27 studio apartments) on Glenneyre. Again, the issue is size and scale.
For example, from our living room and terrace, we have a clear view of the entire church property—with the exception of some trees that we have planted. This project would completely dominate and dwarf all the surrounding homes. We propose keeping the project to two stories to harmonize much better with the surrounding structures. We could support that.
John Martelli and Paul Coluzzi, Laguna Beach
