More hearings on Village Entrance

The Laguna Beach Planning Commission wants to know more about the proposed Village Entrance project before making a decision on it.

Planning Commissioners voted unanimously Jan. 24 to hold a special public hearing Feb. 21 on the Village Entrance draft environmental impact report.

After being briefed on the report, commissioners concluded that more information was needed in order for them to make recommendations, and that sufficient time should be set aside for their discussion and public testimony. That would be unlikely to occur at a regularly scheduled meeting.

“My comments alone will probably take an hour,” Commissioner Norm Grossman said.

The special hearing will replace an announced hearing scheduled for the Feb. 28 commission meeting.

Only five people showed up for the hearing on Jan. 24, and two of them left before the presentation by Geoffrey A. Reilly and Terri McCracken of Christopher A. Joseph and Associates, which prepared the draft report.

Commissioners asked for more explicit data in areas such as mitigation measures and growth inducement.

Grossman said the report should at least inform the public of potential projects in the area that might have a bearing on the Village Entrance project.

It is no secret that the Laguna Playhouse and the Festival of Arts both are planning redevelopment.

Playhouse Executive Director Richard Stein was among the speakers at the commission meeting.

“My biggest concern that I did not see addressed in the EIR was parking for the disabled,” Stein said. “It should be high on the list. The [proposed] structure is further back than the current parking and it could be difficult for the handicapped. We may need a tram service.”

He also said the distance might prove to be a psychological barrier because of safety concerns and the report should review the issues of lighting and clear pedestrian paths.

“Having served 18 months at hard labor 10 years ago on the [Village Entrance] Task Force, I am delighted to see the report,” Stein said. “I have read it in some detail and I agree with the festival submittal.”

Festival of Arts President Anita Mangels submitted written comments to the commission, but did not stay to testify.

“We are committed first and foremost to the safety of our guests year-round,” Mangels wrote. “Parking, as well as safe, efficient pedestrian and vehicle traffic movement are also of paramount importance, not only for the comfort of our guests but the convenience of the community as a whole.”

Mangels also said that adequate summer parking for the festival and the Pageant of the Masters must be ensured.

Seventeen specific points submitted by the festival included keeping pedestrians on the south side of the entrance lane to the parking structure from Laguna Canyon Road; a concern about the height of the parking structure as it affects light and noise that spill into the Irvine Bowl; and street crossings that should be handicapped, wheelchair and child stroller “friendly,” not just accessible.

Resident Michael Hoag urged the commission to consider moving the bus depot from Broadway to the Village Entrance and to consider the effect of providing a large number of parking spaces.

“Parking creates more traffic, it brings more cars,” Hoag said. “The main thing is to get pedestrians safely to the area.”

One of the major goals of the project is to connect the downtown with the arts venues opposite the Village Entrance site and further along Laguna Canyon Road.

Resident Dale Ghere said he is concerned that landscaping to buffer the project could close off valuable views.

All comments made at the meeting or submitted in writing will be addressed in the responses which are a step in the environmental review process.

The public comment period began Jan. 2 and will end at 5 p.m., March 2.

Copies of the report are available for review at the front counter of the City Clerk’s Office in City Hall, 505 Forest Ave., and the Laguna Beach Library, 363 Glenneyre St.

The report is also posted on the city’s web site, www.lagunabeachcity.net. Look for “Village Entrance EIR.” Digital copies of the report may be purchased for $25 through the city’s Community Development Department.

Written comments may be submitted at the Feb. 21 special hearing, mailed to John Montgomery, Director of the Community Development Department, 505 Forest Ave. Laguna Beach 92651 or e-mailed to jmontgomery@ lagunabeachcity.net

For more information, call (949) 497-0361.