South Laguna face-lift moves forward

Mike Swanson

Slowly, perhaps, but surely nonetheless, change is happening along

South Coast Highway.

The first bit of evidence are the two decorative medians between

2nd and 4th avenues.

The next will be curb and gutter improvements, and then repaving

cracked or otherwise faulty sidewalks.

For South Laguna residents who have long called for the work, the

change -- part of about $365,000 in construction -- is coming none

too soon.

“This project has to do with mostly pedestrian-related

improvements -- sidewalks, trees, lights -- but it is part of an

overall package,” said landscape architect James Dockstader, who is

in charge of the project.

The biggest hurdle remains: getting Caltrans to reduce the speed

limit on South Coast Highway from 45 mph.

Because it has to go through the state agency, any change there

will have to be handled separately.

Dockstader said Caltrans believes a speed limit reduction is

inappropriate, but residents plan to lobby for the reduction anyway.

In the meantime, residents say they hope the street improvements

will have a psychological effect on how fast people drive, even if

the speed limit remains at 45 mph.

“Having the street trees on the side, the pedestrian-scale

lighting, the additional sidewalks -- all those things are

subliminally telling the public in their cars that now is the time to

slow down a little bit,” South Laguna resident Ann Christoph said.

The trees were the one piece to the work that failed to earn solid

council approval. Council members Wayne Baglin, Elizabeth Pearson and

Cheryl Kinsman all favored smaller shade trees over the tall, open

eucalyptus trees proposed by residents.

Mayor Toni Iseman, on the other hand, backed the plan put together

by residents, Dockstader and other landscape architects.

“I’m concerned about none of us being landscape architects and

having several landscape architects make suggestions about trees,”

Iseman said. “In particular, the trees that were recommended were

recommended because you can see through them.”

The other council members in attendance weren’t swayed, and they

approved the plan with the provision that street trees other than

eucalyptus be looked at.

Residents haven’t been put off by the apparent setback.

“Trees shouldn’t become the issue,” South Laguna resident Greg

O’Loughlin said. “Trees are about 1/100 of this whole item. The

trees, yeah, we’ll see. It’ll happen, but we’re very happy to be

moving this thing forward.”

At a meeting of the South Laguna Civic Assn. on April 1, residents

reiterated that moving forward, at whatever pace, was what mattered.

Resident Willa Gupta noted how nice the new medians looked, and

that those alone appeared to be affecting drivers’ speed somewhat,

but not enough.

In general, the area is changing, and both residents and the City

Council are liking what they’re seeing.

“Driving this morning through South Laguna,” Pearson said, “I

really got the feeling of a village. There’s a lot of pride down

there and new businesses coming in, making an effort to blend in and

make it feel more like a community.”