PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT
SUBMITTED TO: Planning Commission
SUBMITTED BY: Jennifer Villasenor, Director of Community Development
PREPARED BY: Madalyn Welch, Senior Planner
SUBJECT:
title
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 25-033 (FLOATING MARINA OFFICE AND RESTROOM)
REQUEST:
To permit an approximately 420 sq. ft. floating restroom and 580 sq. ft. floating office at an overall height of 12 ft. 6 in. at an existing marina.
LOCATION:
16340 Pacific Coast Highway, 92649 (Peter’s Landing Marina in Huntington Harbour)
body
APPLICANT:
Makenna Brown, Anchor QEA, 9700 Research Drive, Irvine, CA 92618
PROPERTY
OWNER/BUSINESS OWNER:
Argo SMI Peter’s Landing, 17330 Preston Road, Suite #100C, Dallas, TX 75252
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
That the Planning Commission take the following actions:
A) Find the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15303, Class 3; and,
B) Approve Conditional Use Permit No. 25-033 with suggested findings and conditions of approval (Attachment No. 1).
end
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
A) Do not make the suggested findings, which will result in a mandatory denial per Section 241.10(C) of the Huntington Beach Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance (HBZSO); or,
B) Continue Conditional Use Permit No. 25-033 and direct staff accordingly.
PROJECT PROPOSAL:
Conditional Use Permit (CUP) No. 25-033 represents a request to permit an approximately 420 sq. ft. floating restroom and 580 sq. ft. floating office at an overall height of 12 ft. 6 in. at an existing marina.
Both the floating office and restroom are proposed as accessory uses to the primary use, Peter’s Landing Marina, which requires a Conditional Use Permit to the Planning Commission. The office and restroom are existing at the site and are considered registered vessels by the Coast Guard (Attachment No. 6). Both vessels are permanently affixed to the existing dock in an existing boat slip.
Background:
The project site is currently developed as the Peter’s Landing Marina within Huntington Harbour. The Peter’s Landing Marina was approved by the South Coast Regional Commission on November 19, 1979, under Coastal Development Permit (P-79-6083). The applicant is concurrently applying for a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) at the California Coastal Commission (CCC) for the floating facilities, as well as other public access and marine enhancement improvements, including a dock extension through a separate permit. The CDP for this project will be processed by the CCC as the marina is located within CCC jurisdiction.
The marina exists with 325 boat slips with access taken from Peter’s Landing development. Access to the marina is only permitted for tenants or future tenants visiting the marina office. Otherwise, access to the marina area is not available to the public. Of the 325 slips, two slips will be occupied by the floating office and restroom.
ISSUES AND ANALYSIS:
Subject Property And Surrounding General Plan Designations, Zoning And Land Uses:
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LOCATION |
GENERAL PLAN |
ZONING |
LAND USE |
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Subject Property and East of Subject Property: |
OS-W (Open Space - Water Recreation) |
OS-WR-CZ (Open Space - Water Recreation - Coastal Zone Overlay) |
Peter’s Landing Marina and Huntington Harbour |
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North of Subject Property: |
RH (Residential High Density) |
RH-CZ (Residential High Density - Coastal Zone Overlay) |
Multi-family residential |
|
South and West of Subject Property: |
CV (Commercial Visitor) RM (Residential Medium Density) |
CV-CZ (Commercial Visitor - Coastal Zone Overlay) RM-CZ (Residential Medium Density - Coastal Zone Overlay) |
Peter’s Landing commercial shopping center Multi-family residential |
General Plan Conformance:
The General Plan Land Use Map designation of Peter’s Landing Marina is OS-W. The proposed project is consistent with this designation and the goals and policies of the City’s General Plan as follows:
A. Land Use Element
Goal LU-1: New commercial, industrial, and residential development is coordinated to ensure that the land use pattern is consistent with the overall goals and needs of the community.
Policy LU-1B: Ensure new development supports the protection and maintenance of environmental and open space resources.
Policy LI-1D: Ensure that new development projects are of compatible proportion, scale, and character to complement adjoining uses.
The proposed development is consistent with the land use designation and will continue the land use pattern by supporting the existing marina with needed accessory uses. The project would utilize two existing boat slips to permit an office and restroom. Both structures would be accessible to marina tenants and would support the existing open space resource by providing an on-site office that will provide marina services and a restroom available to marina tenants. The restroom would be available to marina tenants 24 hours per day while the office would be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday with three employees in the office and two employees on the docks each day. The proposed vessels are compatible in proportion, scale, and character with the surrounding area because they will be within the harbour, are prefabricated vessels that are minimal in size and height and will be permanently affixed to the boat slip within the floating dock system.
B. Coastal Element
Policy C 1.1.2: Coastal dependent developments shall have priority over other developments on or near the shoreline. Coastal-related developments should be accommodated within reasonable proximity of the coastal-dependent uses they support.
Policy C 1.2.2: Require that development be designed to account for the unique characteristics of project sites and objectives for Coastal Zone character in accordance with the Development “Overlay” schedule listed in Table C-1, as appropriate.
Goal C-4: Preserve, and where feasible, enhance and restore the aesthetic resources of the City’s coastal zone, including natural areas, beaches, harbors, bluffs and significant public views.
Policy C 4.2.2: Require that massing, height, and orientation of new development be designed to protect public coastal views.
The development is consistent with the Coastal Element Land Use Plan and will provide on-site support to the marina, which is a coastal-dependent use. The vessels that will house the marina office and restroom are consistent in design and material to the surrounding development and proposed at an overall height of 12 feet 6 inches, which will not be detrimental to existing coastal views in the vicinity.
C. Environmental Resources and Conservation Element
Goal ERC-17: Enhance and protect water quality of all natural water bodies including rivers, creeks, harbors, wetlands, and the ocean.
Policy ERC-17C: Continue to require new development and significant redevelopment projects to propose protected safeguards and implement best management practices that minimize non-point source pollution and runoff associated with construction activities and ongoing operations.
The proposed restroom will implement best management practices to minimize source pollution within the harbour. The vessel is connected to the existing sewer pipes along the seawall. No additional infrastructure was added specifically to support the floating restroom.
Zoning Compliance:
The project complies with the OS-WR zoning requirements including land use, parking and building height noted below and identified in HBZSO Ch. 213.08.
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DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS |
REQUIRED |
PROPOSED |
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HBZSO 213.06 Accessory Uses and Structures P/U Provision (A) Provision (D) |
Requires conditional use permit on site of conditional use Limited to facilities incidental to an open space use Private cantilevered decks abutting residential uses; private boat ramps, slips, docks, windscreen and boat hoists in conjunction with adjacent single-family dwellings. See Residential Districts and Chapter 17.24 |
CUP to PC Office and restroom incidental to existing marina N/A; applicable to residential uses only |
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MIN. SETBACK FRONT SIDE REAR |
N/A N/A N/A |
N/A N/A N/A |
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MAX. HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS |
Compatible with established physical scale of the area, max. 35 ft. |
12’-6” |
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MAX. LOT COVERAGE |
N/A |
N/A |
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MIN. LANDSCAPING |
N/A over water |
N/A |
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MIN. PARKING REQUIREMENT (per CCC approved Parking Management Plan) |
Boat Slips 0.75 spaces per slip 325 slips: 244 required spaces Marina Sales Office 1 space per 500 sq. ft. 2 required spaces Restrooms (in marina) 1 space per 500 sq. ft. 1 required space Total required: 247 spaces (proposed parking addendum to be submitted to CCC for review |
695 spaces provided on site, based on parking addendum and shared parking analysis, 291 spaces available for marina |
As noted, the project complies with all applicable development standards. The proposed vessels will not be detrimental to the surrounding vicinity or value of the property because the site is already operating as a marina and the proposed facilities would serve as an accessory use to support the marina. The parking tabulation above indicates sufficient parking on site for the proposed uses and the addendum and shared parking analysis that will be reviewed by the CCC demonstrates a remaining surplus of 44 spaces on site. Additionally, the subject site is located within the AE flood zone. While a typical development would be required to be elevated one foot above the base flood elevation, this project is unique in that the development consists of vessels in the harbour, not structures on land with a measurable elevation. Staff coordinated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on what the requirements would be for such development and to ensure that all applicable requirements are met. FEMA provided the following requirements with which the project must comply: the vessel must be affixed to the existing dock to prevent flotation to avoid potential damage to surrounding buildings in the event of a flood, be constructed of flood-damage resistant materials, and be constructed by methods that minimize flood damage. FEMA confirmed that the project, as proposed, complied with each requirement.
Urban Design Guidelines Conformance:
Not applicable.
Environmental Status:
The project is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15303, Class 3 for New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures because the project consists of an office not exceeding 2,500 sq. ft. as well as a restroom that serves as an accessory structure to the primary marina use.
Coastal Status:
California Coastal Commission jurisdiction
Design Review Board:
Not applicable.
Other Departments Concerns and Requirements:
The Building Division has noted that building permits will not be required because the project consists of vessels located beyond the bulkhead and not permanent structures. The Fire Department has standard code requirements with which the project must comply. The Public Works Department does not have any comments on the project.
Public Notification:
Legal notice was published in the Huntington Beach Wave on Thursday, June 11, 2026, and notices were sent to property owners of record within a 500 ft. radius of the subject property, individuals/organizations requesting notification (Community Development Department’s Notification Matrix), and applicant.
Application Processing Dates:
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DATE OF COMPLETE APPLICATION: |
MANDATORY PROCESSING DATE(S): |
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May 26, 2026 |
July 25, 2026 |
SUMMARY:
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission approve the proposed project based upon the following:
• Consistent with the site’s General Plan land use and zoning designations
• Complies with the provisions of the HBZSO
• Compatible with surrounding uses as the site is an existing marina
• Supports the existing marina as accessory uses incidental to the marina
• Architectural design, colors, and materials of proposed vessels are compatible with surrounding buildings on site.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Suggested findings and conditions of approval
2. Plans received and dated April 30, 2026
3. Code Requirements
4. Project Narrative
5. Photos
6. FEMA Compliance
7. Parking Management Plan Addendum
8. Vicinity Map
9. PowerPoint Presentation