City promises buildable lots for Bluebird homes

The city of Laguna Beach has committed to giving the Bluebird Canyon landslide victims lots on which they can rebuild their homes, Bob Burnham, community recovery coordinator, said.

The restoration work, now estimated to cost $20 million, is expected to be completed by the end of March, and Flamingo Road — the epicenter of the slide — will be restored to its former configuration.

The lots will be restored to a safety factor of 1.5, meaning they will be 50% more stable than before the landslide, in accordance with state law.

“Flamingo Road will be virtually identical to what it was before the slide,” Burnham said. “We [the city] are not putting in pads, but the lots at that point will be very buildable.”

The lots will be slightly steeper than originally, and the flat portions will be smaller than before, but they will allow owners to “step down” their new homes.

“There are advantages and disadvantages” to the steepness, Burnham said.

The lots will have sewer, water, gas and electricity. The city is planning to place the utilities underground, but may need to put temporary electric lines in place until that can be accomplished, Burnham said.

Right now, the focus is on Flamingo Road, where the land fell by 25 feet.

To restore the area, excavators are digging to bedrock at the point just below the place where the slope failed — 60 to 80 feet down — and removing about 130,000 cubic yards of soil.

That soil will be replaced with “cement soil” that will stabilize the slope, Burnham said.

A large cement wall that is now visible on the canyon slope will eventually be covered with vegetation and homes, he said.

— By Cindy Frazier