What's new
Changelog
Every change that makes CrossBeam better for the cities and builders who use it, written up the night it ships.
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Laguna Beach plugin and new MCP requirements tools
The public Laguna Beach plugin is now generated from CrossBeam's current city rules, with the City's checklists, plan-set kinds and fee math, and is checked for drift. The MCP server adds tools to fetch a permit-drawings skill and a city's review requirements, and drawings can be handed to a city plugin to fill forms.
Screener Fees tab itemizes Laguna Building permit fees
Laguna Beach Building screens get a Fees tab that itemizes every fee by when it is due, shows the valuation and fixture counts read from the packet, and lets staff correct values inline. Totals update live, "Copy for EnerGov" copies the lines, and a missing count shows "Needs count".
Laguna site plan scores north arrow and legend separately
Laguna Beach's Planning screener now checks the site plan's north arrow and its legend as two items, so a plan that shows north but lacks a legend no longer fails the north arrow too. Both still mark the same row on the City form.
Laguna Beach staff get accounts on first Microsoft sign-in
Laguna Beach staff signing in with Microsoft from the City's own Microsoft tenant now get an account in the City's organization automatically, then pick Planning, Building or Both once. The address alone is not trusted; the City's tenant must match.
Laguna Beach issuance drops the Construction Deposit row
Laguna Beach Building screens no longer list "Construction Deposit" on the Issuance tab, since the City no longer requires it on any project. The filled issuance handout leaves that row blank.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
City Record pulls work again in the screener
City Record lookups that failed since Oct 1 now complete. The Laserfiche portal began redirecting searches back to the same page with new cookies; the client now follows those redirects by hand and keeps every cookie, stopping with a clear error on a loop.
Friday, October 2, 2026
Faster, more accurate Laguna Beach planning review
Laguna Beach planning reviews read plan sheets in parallel batches, so runs finish sooner. The Design Review criteria block now prints only when a design review entitlement applies, garage and zone setback checks no longer raise false failures, and walking-distance lookups no longer fall back to driving routes.
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Laguna planning reviews read zoning rules more precisely
Laguna Beach planning reviews now apply open-space rules only to lots with more than one dwelling, decide ADU parking transit exemptions from walking distance, show the parcel's prior City cases, and update water-efficient landscape, CEQA and coastal appeal wording.
CEQA and historical building code added to law library
The code library now includes the full CEQA statute (301 sections) and the State Historical Building Code, plus Laguna Beach municipal code titles, its certified Local Coastal Program and CEQA exemption case law, so planning citations can be verified against source text.
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Design Review section only when Design Review applies
Laguna Beach Planning letters now include the Design Review Authority section only when the project actually needs Design Review approval, based on the worksheet's entitlement decisions. Ministerial ADU and SB 9 lot split letters no longer carry it.
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Laguna Planning letters keep their Missing Information section
Laguna Beach Planning letters now list missing submittals in a dedicated Missing Information section built from the review's findings. Before, the section was improvised and dropped from some letters.
Laguna Beach SB 9 and major remodel rules updated
Laguna Beach SB 9 checks now require an approved, final Coastal Development Permit, not a pending one. Remodel, addition, reroof and demolition reviews follow the June 2026 Major Remodel handout, counting walls per floor and per structure, and staff contacts point to the City contact form.
Filled Sign Permit Application for Laguna Beach sign filings
When a Laguna Beach sign filing arrives on the retired Planning Application or without signatures, staff can return the City's July 2026 Sign Permit Application pre-filled from the submittal, with each signature the applicant owes highlighted.
Correct publish dates for Laguna Beach applications
Ask AI now gives the City's own publish dates for the replaced Laguna Beach SB 9, ADU and CUP applications, rather than the date CrossBeam last checked the City website.
Laguna Beach references refreshed from the City site
Laguna Beach reference material now matches the City's current site: new ADU and SB 9 application numbers, three new applications, the latest public hearing notices and CDP exemption list, and recent monthly building reports, so answers and screenings cite current forms.
Friday, September 25, 2026
Laguna Beach reroof filings ask for Planning approval first
When the City record shows no Zone Clearance on file, Laguna Beach residential and commercial reroof screenings now list Planning approval as a missing item in the applicant email, instead of leaving it as a staff-only note that never reached the letter.