Public gets another crack at Village Entrance Project

Laguna Beach kicked off the conceptual design phase of the latest Village Entrance Project with a workshop Tuesday at City Hall followed by a tour.

The city has been grappling for years with how best to beautify and develop the area where Forest Avenue meets Laguna Canyon Road just before drivers enter downtown Laguna. Past concepts have included the creation of landscaped walking paths, renovation of a historic sewer digester building and construction of a parking structure.

But the scrapping of the parking structure proposal in November 2013 after considerable public outcry led officials back to square one, and the city hired a civic design and engineering firm to get the city moving forward again on a new plan.

Tuesday’s workshop was meant to give the public the chance to participate early in the development stage.

“We were pleased with the turnout,” Deputy City Manager Ben Siegel said. “I think we received great feedback from a good cross section of the community.”

Local architect Morris Skenderian, who will be helping with the project, said the workshop and tour was a good start to the new plan.

“[This] is what should’ve happened with the previous projects that never happened,” Skenderian said. “The public didn’t have any input.”

During the walking tour, many residents spoke about what they want to see, including seating areas, lighting and paths for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Vice President Susan Harden of RBF Consulting, which is guiding the remake of the area, suggested several possible features, including a path connecting pedestrians from Tivoli II to the downtown, as well as a dedicated bike path.

The City Council has approved paying RBF Consulting $445,335 and Griffin Structures Inc. $184,585 for overall management of the project.

Officials also said they hope to renovate the exterior of the historic sewer disgester building.

The idea of added parking was at the center of debate during the last round of plans for a new village entrance. But in 2013, the council voted against building a parking structure after strong public opposition. Now RBF is hoping the Christmas tree lot at 725 Laguna Canyon Road can be used to add parking lost to landscape improvements.

Harden suggested the redesign should include bridges across the channel. Residents asked whether walkways could be closer to the creek but asked that designers not overdo the lighting.

“Be very cautious of the light pollution,” resident Leah Vasquez said.

Vasquez added that she was happy with the questions brought up during the event but said there were likely to be more questions in the future.

Siegel too said he was pleased with the event.

“I think people walked away with a better understanding of the site, what some of the constraints are,” Siegel said.

Members of RBF will be at the farmers market Saturday to answer questions. An online survey will also be available Saturday. For more information, visit village-entrance.com.

RBF plans to collect feedback throughout the summer and hold another public workshop in September.