Coastal Zone Development
Lot Legality Analysis and New Single-Family Residence — Swenson Drive, Topanga, Unincorpated Los Angeles County
Santos Planning was brought onto this project to permit a new 2,031 sq.ft. two-story single-family residence located on Swenson Drive in the Topanga area of Unincorporated Los Angeles County. The approved project consisted of a 460 sq.ft. attached garage, 202 sq.ft. detached art studio, 1,916 cy of total grading, water well, and alternative fire protection.
At the onset of the project and our initial due diligence, however, we discovered an issue with the vacant lot’s legality (i.e., legal creation) and worked quickly to analyze and address the problem. Despite the County’s previously issued unconditional Certificate of Compliance declaring the parcel’s legal creation, records showed that the lot had been illegally subdivided. As a result, the Coastal Commission conditioned approval of the project’s Coastal Development Permit by requiring the extinguishment of development rights of another vacant, developable property (also known as a Transfer of Development Credit [TDC] lot). Upon securing the project’s planning approvals at the County and Coastal Commission, Santos Planning assisted the owner in satisfying the TDC requirement as efficiently as possible.
Land Acquisition and Feasibility Analysis — Malibu Road, City of Malibu
Prior to the purchase of land, Santos Planning was retained to assist with this client’s due diligence needs during the land acquisition process. The scope of this work included research and analysis of the property’s lot legality, easements and legal access, permitting history, and title (for any deeded development restrictions or previously issued violations). Santos Planning’s focused feasibility analysis also included the results of facilitated geologic and soils testing.
Subsequently, four parcels totaling approximately one acre along Malibu Road in the City of Malibu were purchased, and we have continued working with the client’s engineers and agency staff to address geologic and septic issues associated with the development of a new single-family residence.
Grading Violation and Proposed Agriculture with Access Road — Mulholland Highway, Malibu, Unincorporated Los Angeles County
During repair and maintenance work to an existing but unimproved access road, the property owner of this 30-acre parcel off of Mulholland Hwy was issued grading violations from the California Coastal Commission and Los Angeles County. The owner then retained Santos Planning to resolve these violations as expeditiously as possible.
Working closely with agency staff, we successfully tabled the violations while applications for after-the-fact grading and proposed development have been processed. Los Angeles County Planning Dept. approval has since been secured for a 9,000 sq.ft. vineyard, 100 sq.ft. storage shed, and 20 ft.-wide, 1,920 ft.-long access road. Site constraints have included the property’s steep terrain, a mapped significant ridgeline, a mapped Sensitive Ecological Area buffer zone, the California Coastal Zone Boundary line bisecting the parcel, and the County’s Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan grading regulations.
Santos Planning is now securing approval of the project’s Coastal Development Permit at the Coastal Commission.
