Seawall Removal Could Leave Laguna Beach Home Vulnerable

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — The home at 11 Lagunita drive continues to be one of the most embattled properties in Laguna Beach. The 1952 Victoria Beach residence received a substantial remodel, to bring the home up to present standards.

Though homeowners Jeffrey and Tracy Katz were told by the city that their remodel was not significant enough for a new permit, the California Coastal Commission disagreed.
This month, the Katzes continued their fight against the California Coastal Commission about the legality of their current seawall permit for their multi-million dollar beachfront home. Their journey to protect their rental property got a solid a thumbs down by Orange County Superior Court Judge Randall J. Sherman.

In early July, Sherman delivered a ruling that the Coastal Commission was "well within their rights" when they determined that the Katz family violated the conditions of their seawall permit. That condition read that there could be no further development until the family removed the barrier. The possibility remains that the added on a portion of the property may need to be removed, altogether.

Last year, the owners were fined $1 million after the addition and rebuild increased the home's value by $11 million. That sum was substantial enough to be considered "new development," according to the courts.

The judge invalidated that fine in the July meeting, and has not yet ruled on portions of the Katzes' suit, calling on the state to reimburse the mfor the cost of the house, and for $70,000 per month in rent that they say has been lost since the commission began proceedings last year.

The Katz family will continue to battle the ruling to remove the seawall, according to their attorney, Steven Kaufman, the Orange County Register reported.

"My clients don't feel like they have done anything wrong. The city advised them that the work they did on the 4,900 square foot home was considered a minor remodel," Kaufman said.

Seawalls prevent sand from reaching the beach, damaging the beaches and causing them to shrink to the point of disappearing, Commissioner Donne Brownsey, the Coastal Commission explained last year.

With changing climates, this case is an important "harbinger" of challenges coastal communities face with sea-level rise, "seawalls are harmful to beaches," he said.

The history of the seawall...

The house at 11 Lagunita Drive, was initially built in 1952 on the bluffs over Victoria Beach. The famed public beach was the birthplace of skimboarding and is popular with locals and visitors to Laguna Beach. In 2005, the previous owners received "temporary authorization for an emergency seawall, but never sought permanent approval for the structure as required by law, City News Service reported.

The 4,837-square-foot home is iconic. Initially listed in 2012 for $17 million, it was sold to the Katz family in early 2013 for $9 million. The seawall permit was never updated after that time, according to reports.

It is not clear as of this report if the Katzes were aware of the need for permanent approval when they purchased the home.