California homeowner ordered to remove private gate to public beach, fined $1.4 million

"The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously Thursday to fine a Carlsbad homeowner $1.4 million and ordered him to remove a gate that blocks public access to the Buena Vista Lagoon and the beach just south of the Carlsbad border. The locked gate is on Mountain View Drive at the beginning of a driveway to John Levy's custom-built, two-story house beside the lagoon."

"Levy's house is built on leveled fill material that was trucked to the lagoon's edge in the 1970s from the creation of the Carlsbad mall now known as The Shoppes at Carlsbad. The commission's decision Thursday at a meeting in Redondo Beach came after years of back-and-forth between Levy and the Coastal Commission over a string of allegations related to public access, unpermitted construction, and habitat preservation requirements."

The California Coastal Commission fined a Carlsbad homeowner $1.4 million and ordered removal of a locked gate that blocks public access to the Buena Vista Lagoon and the beach south of the Carlsbad border. The gate sits on Mountain View Drive at the start of a driveway to John Levy's custom two-story house but was constructed on land owned by a neighboring condominium homeowners association. A 1983 easement requires the area to remain open for public access to the beach, the lagoon and later-created property. The commission's unanimous decision followed years of disputes over public access, unpermitted construction and habitat-preservation requirements; Levy denied blocking access and requested more time, which was denied.

Read at The Mercury News