Coastal Commission OKs Key County Line Proposal

• Panel Decides Against Gating of Beach Route

BY BILL KOENEKER

The California Coastal Commission took action last week in Santa Barbara on Crown Pointe Estates’ County Line proposal that has generated controversy, in part, because of the proposed vacation of Ellice Street.
The commission stopped short of approving a gate that would close off the street.
At the same time, the commission, in approving the proposal, is requiring a nearly half-million mitigation fee to be used to build 11 new cabin units for overnight camping in Leo Carrillo State Park in order “to mitigate the loss of commercial designated use.”
The commission approved a request with modifications by Ventura County to amend its Local Coastal Program to change zoning to allow for Crown Pointe Estates’ current subdivision plans.
At the same time, coastal panelists also agreed there were substantive issues that warrant an appeal made by Commissioners Sara Wan and Patrick Kruer and Eloise Hall from the decision by Ventura County granting a permit to Crowne Point for subdivision of existing lot 10 of a tract into five lots, one commercial and four residential, and vacation of the western portion of the county’s right-of-way for Ellice Street.
The commission found that the portion of the site designated for residential development is not incompatible land use adjacent to the existing restaurant and the four residential building pads are located with an adequate horizontal and vertical buffer to ensure compatible land uses between residential and commercial development.
However, commissioners took exception to the gate blocking off Ellice Street. Coastal panelists overturned the staff recommendation for the gate after one commissioner questioned why in another case the panel was being asked to reject a gate, but not in this case.
The proposal had been wending its way through the approval process with Ventura County, but most recently got stalled at the Coastal Commission when questions arose over the developer wanting to eliminate the commercial land use designation.