What is the Doheny Village Plan?

Doheny Village Plan is a new and improved plan for zoning and public spaces.  This Plan is identified by the City Council as a high priority and necessary to enable neighborhood enhancement and revitalization in the Village.  The Plan consists of two parts:

1. Zoning Code Amendment, General Plan Amendment, and Local Coastal Plan Amendment: results in a new chapter in Title 9 (Zoning) of the Dana Point Municipal Code.  This new chapter creates unique zoning districts with specific land uses and development standards customized for Doheny Village, designed to achieve an integrated neighborhood-serving business and residential environment.

    

2. Capital Improvement Plan (“CIP”): identifies beautification and connectivity projects in Doheny Village, defined by community priorities, schedule, resources, and limitations. The community’s top priority is improving connectivity from Doheny Village to the beach, especially with proposed improvements at the intersection of Doheny Park Road at Pacific Coast Highway.  Other smaller-scale, short-term projects continue to progress, including enhanced lighting, landscape installations, and a Public Art Program.

Doheny Village identifies as a unique, eclectic area with many long-standing industrial, mixed-use, and commercial businesses, as well as a variety of housing types such as multi-family, mobile homes, and live-work units.  This project promotes a healthy and growing economy reflecting the community’s vision and values by guiding development compatible with community expectations through appropriate planning, land use, historical preservation, and development review processes. 

What are the next steps? 

1. Community Outreach begins Spring 2021:

• Sign up for e-mail notifications to receive project updates

• Watch video clips to learn about the Doheny Village Plan on the City’s YouTube page

• Join virtual office hours to ask questions and provide feedback to City staff

• Participate in upcoming public workshops with the Planning Commission and City Council

2. The Draft Environmental Impact Report will be made available for public review in Spring 2021.  The City’s consultant, Michael Baker International, has completed technical studies and environmental analysis of the proposed project. 

3. The Zoning Code Amendment and EIR will be subject to Planning Commission and City Council will review and approval in Summer 2021.

How will this new Plan affect the current residents and businesses?

Doheny Village Merchants’ Association and key stakeholders, including Village residents, business owners, and property owners, have been directly involved in the drafting of the revised Plan since October 2017. 

One of the key objectives of the Zoning Code Amendment is to legalize existing, nonconforming uses which had been established prior to the adoption of the Dana Point Zoning Code in 1989:

• Light industrial uses on the west side

• Residential development on upper floors along Doheny Park Road

• Commercial or residential uses on the east side

Proposed development standards are based on the area’s historical pattern of development, specifically properties built under County of Orange jurisdiction.  Working Group members researched and surveyed site-specific conditions on a neighborhood scale to identify legal, nonconforming structures and desired urban form.  They evaluated the limitations of existing standards relative to current conditions for setbacks, height, lot coverage, floor area ratio, landscape coverage, residential density, and parking. 

These land use changes, including less stringent development standards, will likely spur both small- and large-scale redevelopment in Doheny Village.

Does the City intend to acquire any property in the area?

The Doheny Village Plan does not call for acquisition of land by the City, so it is not anticipated at this time.  This could change in the future if it is determined that public parking or open space is required to support new uses in the Village.  In any event, the City can only acquire private property for a public use, such as parking, street right of way, parks, or other publicly owned facilities. 

How long will it take for this Plan to materialize?

The Doheny Village Plan is considered a long-range land use plan.  Once the Zoning Code Amendment is adopted, its implementation will depend on the desire of the property owners to redevelop their own properties in accordance with the new Plan.  There are several factors affecting those decisions, including real estate market conditions and project feasibility.

As for the Capital Improvement Plan, the City will continue to identify sources of funding and allocate staff resources toward completion of the various beautification and connectivity projects.  Again, this is a long-range Plan and these projects will take time to implement.

Project Schedule

If you have any additional questions pertaining to the Doheny Village Plan, your specific property, or the project schedule, please contact Belinda Deines, Principal Planner, at bdeines@danapoint.org or (949) 248-3570.