820 Gainsborough Drive Project

The 820 Gainsborough Drive Project, approved by the City of Laguna Beach on October 9, 2025, involves the construction of a new three-story, 2,558 square-foot single-family residence and an attached two-car garage on a vacant lot. The development includes several specialized features such as a 295 square-foot elevated deck with glass guardrails, a 36-foot-tall elevator, photovoltaic panels, skylights, and retaining walls. Site improvements also encompass an off-site parking space and catch basin, with on-site grading involving approximately 2,588 cubic yards of cut and two cubic yards of fill, requiring roughly 215 truck trips over 26 days for soil removal. The project is subject to several regulatory approvals, including Design Review DR-23-0131, Coastal Development Permit CDP-23-0132, and Revocable Encroachment Permit REP-23-0133. Compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act is mandated through a Final Mitigated Negative Declaration and a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program. Key operational constraints include scheduling construction to avoid the nesting season from February through August and conducting mandatory pre-construction rare plant and sensitive wildlife surveys. Additionally, the project requires professional Native American monitors to be present during all ground-disturbing activities, with detailed daily logs maintained to document cultural materials and excavation progress.