Pacific Palisades architecture with a coastal point of view.

Local perspective

A place-specific brief deserves a wider field of knowledge.

The coastal zone

Most of the Palisades sits inside the coastal zone, and that decides the schedule.

Inside the coastal zone a coastal development permit is needed for most work, and the word development reaches further than people expect: grading, additions and changes in the intensity of use are all caught by it. Pacific Palisades is part of the City of Los Angeles, so the local coastal permit usually comes from the City, and when a coastal permit is needed, sites seaward of Pacific Coast Highway or near the beach, a coastal bluff, a stream or a wetland also need a second permit from the California Coastal Commission. Some nearby properties just outside the City line, such as Sunset Mesa, are in unincorporated Los Angeles County, where the County issues coastal permits under its own program.

Every property is different. Which of those applies, and whether a decision can be appealed, is settled parcel by parcel, not street by street, so it is the first thing to establish on a Palisades property and the last thing anyone should assume. The rules change over time, so the current requirements are confirmed with the governing agencies at the start of every project.