Nightmare over for ‘dream home’

At long last, Charles and Valerie Griswold will be allowed to build a home on the Bay Drive property they have owned since 1965.

The California Coastal Commission approved the project on Aug. 7, which should close the book on one of the sorriest chapters in Laguna’s history of neighborhood conflicts.

“We are absolutely thrilled,” Charles Griswold said. “It has been a long time coming.”

The project has been in the works since 1997, a woeful history of plan reviews and revisions, a building permit revocation and reinstallation, further marred by accusations of fraud and dishonest conduct and litigation. Project architect Jim Conrad, who drew the original plans for the project in 1997, represented the Griswolds at the commission hearing.

The commission staff recommended the approval and responded to each objection raised by opponents Sid and Lesley Dannenhauer and Kathleen and Craig Miller, who have opposed the project since it was first presented to the Design Review Board in 1998, although they took no legal steps at that time to block it.

“This is a procedure that has been dragged through city staff, [Design Review], the City Council, the California Coastal Commission, Orange County Superior Court, the Court of Appeals and the Orange County Supreme Court,” said attorney Gene Gratz, legal representative of the Griswolds. “I am not sure they won’t petition the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Sid Dannenhauer did not attend the commission hearing, but made it clear on Thursday he is still opposed to the project.

“When the city allows a forged survey, overrules its own building department and ignores published ordinances, most Laguna Beach residents are disappointed and upset,” alleged Dannenhauer. “The Coastline Pilot recently published a cartoon showing a fat cat developer prospering at the expense of the individual. That illustrates our feeling about the 29 Bay Drive project, and we will continue to oppose this type of behavior in every way possible.

“With actions like we have seen related to this project, it’s really no surprise that homes are sliding off hillsides in Laguna Beach.”

However, the project has cleared every legal hurdle and the Griswolds are looking forward to beginning construction on the project, waiting only for the official word from the commission.

“The Coastal Commission has to send a stamped set of documents to the city before the city can release the building permit,” Charles Griswold said.

“We really appreciated the thoroughness of the commission staff and we are grateful for their support.”

The Griswolds expect to begin construction within two weeks, ending their decade-long quest to build their dream home.

BARBARA DIAMOND can be reached at (949) 494-4321 or [email protected].