Proposal would extend Cress Street sidewalk in Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach city officials want to extend a sidewalk on Cress Street to improve public safety near Bluebird Park and are seeking residents’ feedback on the proposal.

A public meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Jan. 11 at the park entrance, at 1470 Temple Terrace, where city staff will discuss the design plans for extending the sidewalk 200 feet on the south side of Cress toward the intersection with Temple Terrace.

The project, on the city’s radar since 2003, has progressed to the planning stages because money is available, assistant city engineer Mark Trestik wrote in an email.

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Laguna budgeted $150,000 for the project, but the exact cost will not be known until a final proposal is prepared, he said. The city’s Design Review Board would have to evaluate the proposal.

The south side of Cress provides parking for visitors to Bluebird Park, while school buses pick up and drop off kids near the park entrance. The sidewalk would provide pedestrians an elevated buffer from passing cars.

Retaining walls would need to be built to accommodate the proposed sidewalk, according to the city.

At this point, Laguna is not considering extending the sidewalk on the northern side of Cress Street for multiple reasons, Trestik said.

No studies have been done to determine rates of collisions involving pedestrians and cars in the area, he said.

But Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Tim Kleiser said no such accidents have been reported in the area within the last two years.

Preliminary drawings are available for review under the project name at bit.ly/construction-projects.

For people who can not attend the meeting, comments can be sent to project manager Alpha Santos-Guinto at (949) 497-0729 or asantos@lagunabeachcity.net.

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Bryce Alderton, bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce