Honarkar Construction Gets Break On Hotel Laguna Remodel

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Hotel Laguna developer Mo Honarkar and company can go back to work on the downstairs restaurant, lobby, bar and kitchen, the city of Laguna Beach announced Wednesday.

It was decided that those areas of the hotel are not part of the stop-work order based upon the missing Coastal Development Permit. According to the new city manager's office, the hotel remains a historic landmark and an important asset to this community that should be properly restored.

For Honarkar, the decision by the City is vindication. for his family and the entire team at the Laguna Beach Company.

"We are thrilled to get back to work and complete the first-floor restoration and renovation of the Hotel Laguna," Honarkar said in a recent release. "The final touches are expected to take just a few weeks to complete. Then, we will open the doors and join together with the Laguna community to honor the hotel’s storied history while celebrating its future."

The partial lifting of the stop-work order for interior renovations to existing spaces is due to no changes in use, City Manager Shohreh Dupuis wrote in a statement.

The building permit for these interior improvements was issued in December 2019 and the work is near completion."

By removing the stop-work order on this portion of the hotel, the developer will be allowed to finish the permitted work which includes the fire-related improvements and other minor work needed to pass fire inspection, building inspection and to obtain a health department permit to reopen the first-floor restaurant, lobby, bar and kitchen areas and small portions of the lower level related to the kitchen use.

None of the areas where work will resume are part of the CDP currently under appeal to the California Coastal Commission and are under the jurisdiction of the City of Laguna Beach. The City has notified the Coastal Commission staff that the remaining minor work resuming in the restaurant, lobby, bar, and kitchen areas
delineated by the City does not constitute “development” and is not
subject to a CDP.

Honarkar's group is currently working to submit a comprehensive plan for the overall restoration of Hotel Laguna, according to the city.

A comprehensive plan must include a schedule and description of the future work that is proposed, including all interior and exterior renovations, a summary of the intended use of the lower-level spaces, including the conference room, as well as the commercial spaces fronting Coast Highway.

Staff will then evaluate the proposed uses and determine if use permits and/or Coastal Development Permits are necessary for the comprehensive plan to proceed, and the comprehensive plan will be brought before the Planning Commission for review and approval
prior to any further construction taking place in these areas.

As for now, the City of Laguna Beach's staff will continue making regular daily visits to the project site to ensure that no unpermitted work is occurring.

As an extra measure of oversight, prior to the issuance of a Temporary Occupancy Permit for the first-floor restaurant, lobby, bar, and kitchen areas, a comprehensive report will be required from a structural engineer concluding that the Hotel Laguna remains in structurally sound condition and is safe to occupy, Dupis said.

For Honarkar, the reopening will be an important milestone. The family-owned company has been a part of the Laguna community for more than two decades.

"Bringing Hotel Laguna back to life is just one way we plan on celebrating the unique lifestyle and unmistakable character that make Laguna such a special place," Honarkar said.

“Hotel Laguna is a historic landmark and an important asset to this community, and we are supportive of the end goal of restoring Hotel Laguna,” said Dupuis. “At the same time, we will continue to make it clear that all the procedures and requirements applicable to the project are to be followed.”

Read: Coastal Commission Delays Hotel Laguna's Remodel: Report | Laguna Beach, CA Patch