The California Coastal Commission (CCC) has unanimously approved an amendment to the County of Los Angeles Santa Monica Mountains Local Coastal Program (LCP) to change the land use designations of 95 parcels.
A total of 61 parcels acquired by park agencies since the LCP was certified have now been designated Open Space, while 34 privately owned parcels that were designated Open Space (OS) will be relabeled residential or coastal recreation.
The new designations range from “Rural Lands 40,” i.e., one dwelling unit per 40 acres, to the “Rural-Coastal 10,000” zone designation, i.e., one dwelling unit per 10,000 square feet.
According to CCC staff, “Any parcels affected by this change are already assigned the correct land use designation, so the proposed correction will have no effect on coastal resources.”
The staff report also stated that the county performed a “parcel-specific analysis for each property,” to determine “whether the parcel should be re-designated from OS and which residential land use and zoning category would be most appropriate.”
The amendment also includes, “minor textual and grammatical changes as well as changes to policies and provisions of the LCP regarding biological resources, consistency with the standards of other county agencies, recreation and scenic resources.”
One of those changes is a new provision that would allow the county to enact a five-year ban on issuing a permit on any property with a recorded Coastal Development Permit (CDP) notice of violation, revocation, or cease and desist order.
The staff report states that the ban “is intended to dissuade property owners or developers from developing land illegally without the required CDP,” and that the provision “will help to protect coastal resources within the Santa Monica Mountains.”
Another change is intended to clarify and strengthen policies regarding emergency permits for oak tree removal. The new provision allows for removal of oak trees “only to protect existing structures and also limit the discretion of the director to only consider other cases of emergency in order to prevent the spread of infection or disease amongst tree populations.”
The proposed changes were approved without controversy or discussion.
For more information on the Santa Monica Mountains LCP: planning.lacounty.gov/coastal.
