Coastal Commission OKs Key County Line
Proposal
• Panel Decides Against Gating of
Beach Route
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.
