More shade at the Sawdust Festival? Yes, with a new dining canopy
Sawdust Art Festival officials want to make guests as comfortable as possible, and so they are planning to install a large canopy to protect visitors from the sun and the rain while they are eating.
The freestanding steel structure sheathed in blue and red fire-retardant fabric — which got the go-ahead from the Laguna Beach City Council this week — will measure 20 feet by 10 feet and rise nearly 19 feet at its highest point, according to plans.
It will be positioned in the outdoor dining area, at the northwest section of the property, at 935 Laguna Canyon Road, replacing five umbrellas that offer only pockets of protection, Sawdust marketing coordinator Kelsey Paprocki said.
The design, engineering and installation will cost the nonprofit Sawdust an estimated $22,000, she added.
“It creates a lot more flexibility,” architect Leland Stearns told the council, which unanimously approved conditional use and coastal development permits for the project Tuesday. “It is easier to move tables around.”
He told the Planning Commission in October that the current umbrellas “do not provide good coverage and are a hassle.” Commissioners recommended approval, suggesting the blue fabric would be more pleasing than the red and should face the public areas.
Since the height exceeds the maximum allowable 12 feet in the so-called Civic Art District, the council needed to approve the Planning Commission’s recommendation that the project meet certain requirements, according to a city staff report.
Also, the report said the structure should not be visible to passing motorists on Laguna Canyon Road. The Sawdust’s facade, which at its tallest is 22.5 feet, would conceal the bulk of the structure, with help from two nearby trees, the report said.
Having won council approval, Sawdust officials now must obtain a building permit from the city before work begins, Paprocki said, adding that construction will take three to four weeks.
Assistant planner Anthony Viera told the council that the structure would not be affixed to an existing building.
The Sawdust hosts a nine-week summer fine-art and crafts festival, with more than 200 Laguna Beach artists exhibiting and selling their original art and handcrafted items, according to the Sawdust website.
Sawdust’s annual Winter Fantasy Festival occurs for five weekends leading up to the holiday season. It boasts an international collection of more than 175 artisans who create, showcase and sell their original, handcrafted artwork amid decorations that resemble a winter wonderland, the website said.
Twitter: @AldertonBryce
