REGULATORY PERMIT APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE
The City of Laguna Woods has adopted a regulatory process that will allow medical marijuana dispensaries (non-profits) to operate in certain areas of the city under certain conditions. Application packets are available at City Hall and on the website.

The Laguna Woods General Plan designates approximately 69 acres in the city owned by Laguna Woods Village as Urban Activity Center (UAC). This designation requires the City to approve a specific plan before any new development can occur on the property. Minor construction that is ancillary to current uses is allowed. 

City staff and legal counsel have engaged in a protracted debate with GRF representatives during the last 12 months about the preparation of a specific plan for the UAC. Given the nature of the property and its current uses, the City Manager, City Attorney and Community Development Director have determined that the City will need to hire an environmental consultant to prepare the required environmental documents and to determine what level of review and analysis is warranted. 

Title 14, Article 5, Section 15060 (b) of the California Code of Regulations states that “Except as provided in Section 15111, the lead agency shall begin the formal environmental evaluation of the project after accepting an application as complete and determining that the project is subject to CEQA.” Section 15111 recognizes that it is not always possible for a lead agency (in this case the City) to make decisions on permits within the time limits of the permit streamlining act and allows an agency to initiate work on environmental review prior to deeming a project application as complete. However, an application and a project description are required before a lead agency can initiate any work on the environmental review.

To date, no application or project description for the UAC specific plan has been submitted to the City. The City does not know what type of development is being proposed or where it might occur. If you hire an architect to draw a plan to renovate your home, would you approve the plan, sign the contact and pay for the work without first seeing what the plan looks like? It is simply not possible for the City to review and approve a project that we have not seen. 

On May 29, 2008, the Golden Rain Foundation issued a press release stating that they were withdrawing from negotiations because “GRF finds the approach outlined…unacceptable.”

The City of Laguna Woods does not own any land within the UAC; and it is not a partner in the potential development of this property. The City’s role is to review the project and assess its impact on the environment and on the quality of the lives of its residents and businesses. If a development plan is submitted, the City is prepared to follow the process outlined in the California Environmental Quality Act and its own General Plan and Zoning Codes and to assure that the review process is legally adequate, equitable and transparent and that residents and other interested persons are informed and have the opportunity to comment.

Residents who have questions about the City's environmental review process on this or other development projects are encouraged to contact the city manager at (949) 639-0511.

To see the review process that the City has "outlined" for this project and the communications between GRF and the City, click on article title. 

Located at the site of the old Leisure World administration building off of La Plata, this project replaced an existing commercial building with a 134-unit, age-restricted residential development. The City's Planning Advisory Committee discussed this project at its September 8, 2005 and October 11, 2005 meetings and voted to approve all of the proposed project applications. There were no protests filed at either of the committee's meetings. The City Council opened the public hearing on this project on September 14, 2005 and continued it to October 19, 2005; no protests were filed at either Council meeting. 

At the conclusion of the public hearing in October, the Council approved the general plan amendment, conditional use permit and site plan. The Council also certified the mitigated negative declaration and approved first reading of an ordinance that would approve the required zone change. The Council took final action approving the zone change ordinance at its November 16, 2005 meeting and the project is under construction.
 
This project was approved as a for sale condominium project; the current project owner - Standard Pacific - has talked to City staff about a rental, rather than for-sale, project. Current conditions on this project require that 15 units be owner-occupied by low income residents. Any change to this condition and/or any change converting the project to a congregate care facility would require a public hearing and approval by the City Council. 

The see the specific actions and environmental documents associated with this project, click on the article title.