MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE
PLANNING COMMISSION
June 3, 2026 @ 6:00 p.m.
San Clemente City Hall Council Chamber
910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, CA 92673
Teleconference via www.san-clemente.org
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Cosgrove called the Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission of the City of San Clemente to order at 6:01 p.m. The meeting was offered in person at San Clemente City Hall Council Chambers, 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, California, 92673, and also via live stream from the City’s YouTube Channel.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Commissioner led the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present: Chair Cameron Cosgrove; Vice Chair M. Steven Camp; Chair Pro Tem Scott McKhann; Gary McCaughan; Karen PrescottLoeffler; and Brett Freeman Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Patrick Griffin
Staff Present: Christopher Wright, Senior Planner
Alex Huang, Planning Intern
Gena Burns, Deputy City Attorney
These minutes reflect the order in which items appeared on the meeting agenda and do not necessarily reflect the order in which items were actually considered.
4. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS/SPECIAL PRESENTATION
None.
5. MINUTES
A. Receive and file Minutes from the Planning Commission Regular Meeting of April 22, 2026.
IT WAS MOVED BY COMMISSIONER PRESCOTT-LOEFFLER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER FREEMAN, AND CARRIED 6-0, COMMISSIONER GRIFFIN ABSENT, DRAFT
Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2026 Page 2 TO RECEIVE AND FILE THE MINUTES FROM THE REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 20, 2026.
6. ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
The Planning Commission was commended by Mayor Rick Loeffler and City Manager Andy Hall for navigating really complicated projects and handing difficult issues in a very passionate electorate while maintaining community character.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
None.
8. PUBLIC HEARINGS
None.
9. NEW BUSINESS
A. Historic Story Map
A presentation of a new interactive GIS map developed for the City of San Clemente website as a resource tool.
Planning Intern Huang introduced himself stating the development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) story map was part of the intern program through University of California Irvine. The interactive GIS story map focused on the 207 historical resources with photos, California DPR survey records and other information that will reside on the City’s website as a tool for multiple purposes including economic development, tourism, and public accessibility.
The Commission thanked Mr. Huang for his efforts and wished him great success in his educational journey in urban studies and career thereafter.
10. OLD BUSINESS
A. Geological Hazards Report for the Local Coastal Program A request for the Planning Commission to provide recommendations to the City Council on the draft Geological Hazard Report being prepared for the certification of the City’s Local Coastal Program (LCP).
Senior Planner Wright summarized the staff report that highlighted:
• The City Council has made it a staff priority to prepare and certify a LCP. With a finalized LCP, the City would take over permitting authority for the Coastal Zone. The LCP includes a Coastal Land Use Plan (LUP) with policies for the Coastal Zone, certified in 2018. A LCP also includes an Implementation Plan DRAFT
Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2026 Page 3 (IP) that includes zoning standards, including those that address geological issues and bluff setbacks.
• Development of the LCP is supported by grants awarded by the California Coastal Commission. One of the grant deliverables is the Geologic Hazards Report which serves two purposes: 1) inform geotechnical policy and standards for the development of the LCP, and 2) provide a guide for applicants to prepare required site-specific geotechnical reports and design projects that meet policies and standards.
• The report was previously presented to the Planning Commission on December 3, 2025. Since, revisions have been made to the report in response to comments from the public, Planning Commission, and Coastal Commission staff. While other minor revisions were made, more significant changes were made to find a compromise with Coastal Commission staff on assumptions for a baseline erosion rate, factoring in sea level rise and the railroad; and to highlight efforts made on sand replenishment and resiliency.
Public Comments:
Mark McGuire, resident, stated he helps clients with their development projects through the Coastal Commission permitting process. He encouraged the Planning Commission to keep the geological hazards report a working administrative draft for City staff to continue working with on revisions in response to feedback received during the process. The Planning Commission should review the report again later when the LCP is further along. Currently, after the City approves a development project In-Concept, the applicant and Coastal Commission go back-and-forth for a year, two or longer on geological assumptions and related design. After much time, hopefully some agreement is reached on acceptable geological assumptions. For some projects he has worked on, reasonable project bluff setbacks were able to be set based on erosion assuming no railroad and higher sea level rise. Mr. McGuire encouraged the Commission to reconsider assumptions in the formula, specifically the timeline for the railroad and assumptions for erosion without it. Additionally, if a formula were used, applicants should be able to use a lower erosion rate if proven in a site-specific geological analysis.
Commission Comments and Staff Discussions:
• EnGeo Inc. drafted the Geologic Hazards Report following a review of several site-specific geologic hazards reports, sea level rise data, oblique aerial imagery of the coastal bluffs, and geologic database information to identify historical erosion rates and identify geologic features. The report emphasizes that projects on coastal bluffs require a site-specific geotechnical analysis that evaluates site characteristics based on the best available science, such as soil composition, current sea level rise projections, erosion trends, and more. • Along with the Geologic Hazards Report, the City’s consultant, EnGeo Inc. developed a GIS portal with geomorphic zones and links to annotated oblique drone photos of the City’s coastal bluffs.
• Erosion Rates and Railroad: The California Coastal Commission (CCC) did not accept the City's initial baseline erosion rate of 0.1 ft/year with the railroad DRAFT
Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2026 Page 4 remaining indefinitely. The CCC’s default position is for project applicants to analyze erosion assuming no railroad and higher sea level rise projections.
City staff and CCC staff negotiated a compromise that maintains the status quo for at least 30 years with a formula approach that uses a baseline erosion rate of .1 feet/year of erosion with the railroad until 2055, the latest timeline in OCTA’s strategic plan that assumes the current railroad alignment. After 2055, the formula assumes higher erosion rates that vary depending on the geology of a property along the City’s shoreline. The CCC staff seems open to this approach if the City revisits the topic with an LCP update within 15 years. The discussions with the CCC staff are ongoing.
• Sea Level Rise: Concerns were raised that the CCC often pushes for sea level rise scenarios that are becoming less plausible, with current studies showing less aggressive assumptions.
• Current City policy mandates a bluff setback that is a greater of: 25 feet from the bluff edge, a stringline, or a factor of safety (FOS) of 1.5 plus erosion assumed over 75 years based on best available science. The bluff setback text section should clarify that this policy will continue for coastal bluffs. • The document is not final, and no approvals are being sought; the goal is to update the Commission and make the document public for inclusive discussion.
• The LCP project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, with a public review draft targeted for the end of 2026.
The Commission decided to take no action on the administrative draft Geologic Hazards Report. Staff was encouraged to continue pushing for the City’s policy positions on coastal issues in its discussions with the CCC on the LCP, such as erosion rates, setbacks, the railroad alignment, and recognizing the City’s sand replenishment and resiliency efforts.
The Commission supported Chair Cosgrove’s commitment to meet with staff periodically to get updates on LCP progress, and recommend to staff when it would be beneficial to update the full Commission again.
11. REPORTS OF COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF
A. Commissioner Reports
None.
B. Tentative Future Agenda
Written report provided. The Commission proposed consolidating the July meetings by cancelling the July 8th and July 22nd meetings, and adjourning the June 17th meeting to July 15th. Staff stated that one meeting was necessary due to the parklet agenda item.
DRAFT
Planning Commission Regular Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2026 Page 5 Staff explained the City Council's approved outdoor dining parklet policy included a clause allowing business owners to apply directly to the Planning Commission for exemptions from new design guidelines. Thus, many parklet owners are expected to seek Planning Commission review in July and August.
The Commission requested staff to seek clarification from the City Manager, Mayor, and Council members regarding the Council's intent on "red lines" for relief and acceptable areas for exemptions.
C. Administrative Permit Report
Written report provided.
D. Staff Reports
None.
12. ADJOURNMENT
The Planning Commission adjourned at 8:31 p.m. the Planning Commission scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 6:00 p.m., and will be held at the San Clemente City Hall Council Chambers located at 910 Calle Negocio, 2nd Floor, San Clemente, California.
Respectfully submitted,
___________________________
Cameron Cosgrove, Chair
Attest:
___________________________
Christopher Wright, Secretary to the Plannin
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g Commission