Coral Casino Lawsuit Shot Down

Cynthia Ziegler’s Appeal Found to Have No Merit by 2nd
District

Cynthia Ziegler, a Coral Casino member who for
nearly four years has organized resistance to Ty
Warner’s remodel of the historic beach and swim club, lost
another round in court on Tuesday. The 2nd District Court of Appeals in Ventura issued
an opinion that found no merit in the Ziegler-led Coral
Casino Preservation Committee’s (CCPC) appeal of a
decision by the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors
favorable to Warner. See the decision in Word document form here. (The
accompanying painting is by Santa Barbara artist B.J. Stapen. See
more of her work at bjstapen.tripod.com).

The CCPC appeal contended the Warner plan had significant impact
on the historical fabric of the Coral Casino and that CCPC offered
a better, less damaging, alternative. However, the Appeals Court
rejected the CCPC alternative. The court wrote, “The CCPC
alternative would not restore the building to its original
footprint or restore the original view corridor from the pool
area…the CCPC alternative would not offer such amenities as a
members -only area and a kitchen on the same floor as the
restaurant… Based on these and other omissions, the CCPC
alternative would not meet many of the project objectives and is
not feasible.”

The Appeals Court also denied the CCPC argument that a safety
railing violated the Montecito Community Plan height restriction,
saying the guardrail was “an architectural projection and not a
roofed structure.” In its summary, the appeal court stated, “the
Board of Supervisors did not abuse its discretion when it found the
CCPC alternative was infeasible and the Warner project was
consistent with the Montecito Community Plan. The CCPC’s petition
is denied.”