Council votes for paths linking canyon parking lots

Mobility in Laguna Canyon, whether on bike, foot or car, came to the forefront Tuesday night as the Laguna Beach City Council considered the merits of a pedestrian path that would connect two canyon parking lots.

Despite some mixed opinion on the idea from residents, the council voted in favor of creating a 900-foot path to link the Laguna College of Art + Design and the Act V lot, two areas that sit on the same side of Laguna Canyon Road, nestled against the natural hillside.

The estimated $450,000 path was approved with a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Steve Dicterow and Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman dissenting.

City Manager John Pietig brought it to the council’s attention, thinking the council should review it after the project was approved in March by the city’s Design Review Board, which sought to have fewer lights installed along the canyonside path.

Some residents questioned the necessity of the stone-lined, decomposed granite walkway, which would be elevated a foot higher than the road and positioned 12 feet away from it.

They also worried that its lights would be too bright for the area. Other speakers claimed the project, located on county land, would negatively impact the environment and wildlife.

Council members who supported the project said pedestrians would be safer on a new path than on the Laguna Canyon Road’s narrow shoulder.

“There is completely a legitimate public need for a trail,” Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede said. “Adding pedestrian connectivity in the canyon is a good thing.”

The path comes during a years-long effort to boost pedestrian and bicyclist safety along the busy thoroughfare.

City officials say the path could avoid more cars from coming into the downtown core by enticing motorists to park at either LCAD or Act V, then hop on trolleys to go to the art festivals during the busy summer season.

During non-summer months, the city and LCAD have an agreement that allows LCAD students, faculty and staff to use 64 spaces in the 264-stall Act V lot, if the college’s lot is full.

For some residents, the proposed benefits did not outweigh the costs.

“I don’t think we should be using pathways in open space to facilitate parking lots,” Verna Rollinger said. “I would not feel safe walking in the dark on a path, and think I would feel less safe with lighting.”

Rollinger said lights could draw attention to pedestrians, some of whom may be holding purses, making them targets for thieves.

The council did not reach a consensus on an appropriate lighting plan — also a sticking point during the Design Review Board’s three hearings on the matter.

The board wanted a path with 75 lights — 19 less than the city staff desired — and asked for motion sensors. City staff proposed putting the lights on 30-inch wooden posts, spaced 10 feet apart.

City staff, which has worked with county parks officials on the project, explored several lighting options, including LED bulbs, but those would need to be mounted on taller poles and could shine into the eyes of passing motorists, according to a city report.

Councilman Kelly Boyd, who acknowledged he was stumped regarding the lighting issue, wondered how much use the path would receive during non-summer months.

“In the wintertime, it’s going to be dark,” Boyd said. “I doubt very seriously that people will be using that side. The biggest side used is the other side of the canyon. That is where all the houses and everything else is.”

City staff will schedule a meeting with the Design Review Board and OC Parks to reach a consensus.

The city also needs to get county approval for an easement to do the project.