STAFF REPORT
9 Meeting Date:
September 9, 2025
SUBJECT: ART IN PUBLIC PLACES APPLICATION FOR INSTALLATION OF SCULPTURE AT 288 CRESS STREET
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Approve the application to install a sculpture entitled, “Ascension” by Louis Longi to satisfy the Art in Public Places requirement in Chapter 1.09 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code for the development at 288 Cress Street; and
2. Find that the recommended action is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to Section 15303 of the State CEQA Guidelines.
Appropriation: $0 Fund: N/A
Submitted By: Sian Poeschel Approved:
Sian Poeschel, Cultural Arts
Manager
Dave Kiff, City Manager
SUMMARY OF THE MATTER
This report recommends that the City Council approve the installation of a sculpture entitled “Ascension” by Laguna Beach artist Louis Longi to fulfill the Art in Public Places requirement for the property at 288 Cress Street. This requirement applies under Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 1.09, which mandates the inclusion of public art in qualifying development projects. The requirement was triggered by City approval on February 15, 2023, of a 2,279-square-foot addition to the existing office building at the site.
To fulfill this obligation, the property owner submitted a proposal for the installation of “Ascension”, as shown in Attachment 1. The Arts Commission unanimously approved the sculpture on July 14, 2025. The item is now presented to the City Council for final consideration.
There is no fiscal impact to the City. The sculpture will be funded and maintained by the property owner.
The project has been reviewed under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and determined to be categorically exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15303.
DISCUSSION
Laguna Beach has a long-established reputation as an arts-centered community and destination for artists, residents, and visitors. To support and preserve this cultural identity, the Laguna Beach Municipal Code requires the installation of public art as part of certain development projects. This includes new commercial or industrial development; remodels or reconstruction of existing commercial or industrial properties with ART IN PUBLIC PLACES APPLICATION FOR INSTALLATION OF SCULPTURE AT 288
CRESS STREET
September 9, 2025
expenditures exceeding $225,000; residential subdivisions of more than four units; and public parks or infrastructure projects, subject to specified exceptions (LBMC Section 1.09.040).
Upon submission of an art in public places application form, the applicant makes a presentation to the Arts Commission to introduce the development project and to propose concepts and plans for a public art project. (LBMC Section 1.09.050(d).) Once the applicant receives conceptual approval from the Arts Commission, the applicant submits a final application form, including specific plans for the public art project, for review and decision by the Arts Commission. (LBMC Section 1.09.050.) The final art in public places application must then be submitted to the City Council for action. (LBMC Section 1.09.050(g).) The City Council approves, conditionally approves, or denies the application based on the following guidelines:
1. The art works shall be clearly visible and easily accessible to the public.
2. The art in public places application shall include a site plan showing the location of the art work, complete with landscaping, lighting and other appropriate accessories to complement and protect the art work.
3. The composition of the art work shall be of permanent-type of materials in order to be durable against vandalism, theft and weather, and in order to require a low level of maintenance.
4. The art work shall be related in terms of scale, material, form and content to immediate and adjacent buildings and landscaping so that it complements the site and surrounding environment.
5. The art work shall be designed and constructed by persons experienced in the production of such art work and recognized by critics and by his or her peers as one who produces works of art.
6. The art work shall be a permanent, fixed asset to the property.
7. The art work shall be maintained by the property owner in a neat and orderly manner acceptable to the city.
(LBMC Section 1.09.060.) The building permit for a development project must not be issued until the City Council has approved the art and public places application, and the certificate of occupancy must not be issued until the approved work of art has been installed. (LBMC Section 1.09.050.) To satisfy the Art in Public Places requirement under Chapter 1.09 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code, the property owner of 288 Cress Street proposes to install a bronze sculpture titled “Ascension” by Laguna Beach artist Louis Longi. The sculpture, an original work, is a stylized figure symbolizing aspirational flight. It will be installed at the property's main entrance facing Cress Street, as shown in Attachment 1. The artwork measures seven feet in height and two feet in both width and depth, mounted on a two-foot-tall reinforced concrete base surrounded by landscaping. The sculpture will be securely anchored with rebar footings and bolts to ensure permanence and stability.
At its meeting on July 14, 2025, the Arts Commission received a presentation by the artist and unanimously approved the sculpture “Ascension” by Louis Longi to satisfy the Art in Public Places at the Property. The Arts Commission minutes are included in Attachment 2.
ART IN PUBLIC PLACES APPLICATION FOR INSTALLATION OF SCULPTURE AT 288
CRESS STREET
September 9, 2025
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
The recommended actions have no financial impact, as the property owner will fund and maintain the sculpture.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The recommended action is exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act under CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 because it consists of construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures, installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures, and/or the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure. Here, the recommended action meets the exemption because it includes the installation of a sculpture that is seven feet in height by 2 feet in width and depth installed on a two feet tall base surrounded by plantings at the entrance of 288 Crest Street. The sculpture will be bolted into a concrete base with rebar footing and anchor bolts. Lastly, none of the exceptions to the use of a categorical exemption identified in State CEQA Guidelines section 15300.2 apply.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Artist Rendering (Pgs. 4-6)
2. 7/14/25 Arts Commission Minutes (Pg. 7)
Report Prepared By: Coordinated With:
Sian Poeschl, Cultural Arts Manager Jane Abzug, Assistant City Attorney