PLANNING COMMISSION AND DESIGN REVIEW BOARD JOINT STUDY SESSION
STAFF REPORT
November 19, 2025
Agenda Item No. 6.1
Request: Provide direction on the development of objective design standards for single- and two-family residential projects.
Project Location: Citywide
Prepared By: Community Development Department
Wendy Jung, Principal Planner
(949) 497-0321 | [email protected]
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the Planning Commission and Design Review Board receive a presentation and recommendations from City consultant JKA regarding the development of single- and twofamily residential objective design standards, receive public input, and provide direction as appropriate.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
On October 8, 2024, the City Council awarded a contract to De Novo Planning Group to prepare the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update (“CZCU”), a key initiative identified through the City’s 2022 Strategic Planning and 2024 Annual Planning Workshops. In July 2025, the City Council approved a contract amendment to expand the scope of work and prioritize the adoption of objective design standards (“ODS”) for single- and two-family residential projects, as well as updated parking standards. Since that time, De Novo Planning Group and its subconsultants, JKA and Kittelson, have initiated project activities including staff coordination meetings, background research, site visits, parking data collection, and preparation of a public participation plan with project branding and outreach materials.
In response to recent state housing laws limiting the use of subjective design criteria, the City is developing ODS to preserve local design control and ensure new housing is compatible with Laguna Beach’s architectural character. The ODS will be completed in two phases: Phase One will establish objective form and massing parameters such as, height and building setbacks, while Phase Two will expand to include architectural style and character standards for single- and twofamily development, including hillside areas. The November 2025 Joint Study Session with the Attachment 2
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Planning Commission and Design Review Board will provide an opportunity to review existing conditions, assess neighborhood character, and discuss preliminary recommendations.
Subsequent steps include preparation of an administrative draft of the proposed ODS in early 2026, additional study sessions in the spring, and public hearings in summer 2026 leading to adoption of the final ODS.
BACKGROUND:
Comprehensive Zoning Code Update
On October 8, 2024, the City Council awarded a contract to De Novo Planning Group for the preparation of the Comprehensive Zoning Code Update ("CZCU"), a key project identified during the 2022 Strategic Planning and Goal Setting Workshop and as a policy initiative during its 2024 Annual Planning Workshop held on January 19, 2024. On July 22, 2025, the City Council authorized the City Manager to execute a contract amendment to revise and expand the scope of services associated with the CZCU. The revised schedule prioritized the adoption of the ODS for singlefamily and two-family residential projects and the updated parking standards. Since then, De Novo Planning Group and subconsultants1JKA and Kittelson have conducted kick-off meetings with staff, researched past documents, conducted site visits throughout the City, collected parking occupancy data during both peak and non-peak periods, prepared a public participation plan, including a logo and branding for the CZCU effort, and collaborated with the CZCU ad hoc committee.
Need for Objective Design Standards
In recent years, the State of California has enacted a series of housing laws aimed at increasing the state’s housing inventory by reducing barriers to housing production. These laws limit a city’s authority to deny certain eligible residential development projects based on standards that are subjective in nature and, instead, requires that such projects be reviewed using objective design standards. Objective design standards are defined under state law as, “standards that involve no personal or subjective judgement by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official prior to submittal.” (California Government Code, Section 65913.4.) Some of the City’s design review standards are subjective, which cannot be relied upon to ensure that resulting development is compatible with existing development patterns when the City’s review authority is limited under state law. To preserve local design control and ensure compatibility with Laguna Beach’s architectural character, the City will develop ODS to provide clear, measurable criteria that comply with state law while supporting high-quality design outcomes.
Without these standards, the City’s ability to shape the design of future multi-family, mixed-use, and small-scale residential projects would be limited to existing objective provisions in the Zoning Ordinance and General Plan. Establishing ODS will provide a consistent, legally defensible 1 JKA is the subconsultant preparing the ODS, while Kittelson is preparing the draft updates to the City’s parking regulations.
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framework for project review while maintaining the distinct architectural identity of Laguna Beach neighborhoods.
Two-Phase Approach to Objective Design Standards
The ODS program will be completed in two phases:
• Phase One will focus on form and massing, and establishing maximum height and minimum building setback requirements through a “box inside a box” concept.2 As currently proposed by staff, any development allowed under these standards without design review would be limited to a single story and at a height not to exceed 16 feet, and with greater setbacks than those required by the underlying zone. This phase does not address architectural styles or detailed building design elements. This phased approach will allow the City to more quickly adopt and implement objective design standards. Staff proposes to include the Phase One ODS in the Design Review Efficiency Ordinance • Phase Two, which is the proposed topic of this study session, will expand the ODS to include architectural style and character standards for single- and two-family development, including hillside areas. The standards will be illustrated, user-friendly, and supported by a neighborhood-based architectural style map.
DISCUSSION:
Purpose of the Study Session
The main purpose of this Planning Commission and Design Review Board Joint Study Session is to present an overview and initial recommendations for the development of single- and two-family residential ODS. Specifically, subconsultant JKA will provide a review of relevant documentation, a comprehensive assessment of neighborhood character, analysis of prevailing architectural styles, an overview of their research and analysis of comparable cities undergoing similar development of ODS, and preliminary recommendations for architectural styles. This session plays an essential role for JKA to obtain direction from the Planning Commission, Design Review Board, and the community, and to identify the City's priorities for the development of ODS. The specific key ideas and findings that JKA will be addressing during the study session are provided in the attached deliverable (Task A5.2 of De Novo Planning Group’s scope of work). Staff recommends that the Planning Commission and Design Review Board prepare for the meeting by reviewing the existing conditions report (Attachment 1) in advance.
Next Steps
To advance the project, the following key activities are planned. JKA will prepare an administrative draft of the ODS for internal review, which will include detailed character and style standards 2 The “box inside a box” concept will provide objective design standards that allow a certain form of development. Still, an applicant will have the option to pursue discretionary design review should the applicant want to exceed such allowed form of development. The Phase One ODS have now been drafted and are being presented to the City Council for review and direction on November 18, 2025 as part of a revised draft Design Review Efficiency Ordinance. 75 PC and DRB Joint Study Session Staff Report
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presented in both illustrative and zoning text formats, along with a checklist and architectural style options. Additional study sessions with decision-makers and the public will be conducted in spring 2026 to review and provide direction on the draft document. Based on input received, a public review draft of the ODS will be developed, incorporating feedback from stakeholders and decisionmakers to further refine the standards and style options. Following this, the ODS will be finalized, integrating public and decision-maker comments to prepare the document for formal adoption.
Two public hearings are anticipated in summer 2026 to present the proposed ODS and gather community input prior to final approval.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
The recommended action is exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act under CEQA Guidelines Section 15306 because it consists of basic data collection, research, experimental management, and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. The recommended action is strictly for information gathering purposes, or as part of a study leading to an action which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded. Here, the recommended action meets the exemption because the Planning Commission and Design Review Board are providing direction on research, analysis, and preliminary recommendations related to the development of single- and two-family residential ODS, which are informational and planning activities that will not result in any physical changes to the environment.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Planning Commission and Design Review Board receive a presentation and recommendations from City consultant JKA regarding the development of single- and twofamily residential objective design standards, receive public input, and provide direction as appropriate.
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment 1 – JKA Existing Conditions Report / Presentation 76