Workshop will focus on Village Entrance plans

Laguna Beach will hold a community workshop July 16 to discuss the Village Entrance Project.

City staff will update the public on the scope of the project and gather feedback on specific elements, including what to do with the sewer digester building and when to landscape the Laguna Canyon Road median, according to a news release.

The project is an attempt to beautify the entrance to the village near Forest Avenue and Laguna Canyon Road, including the Forest Avenue and Lumberyard parking lots.

Discussions about what should be done to spruce up the area have gone on for nearly 20 years and, until recently, included plans for a parking structure.

The City Council, during a workshop last November, scrapped the the idea of building a parking structure and voted instead to pursue a scaled-down project involving a landscaped promenade and additional parking at the recently acquired property at 725 Laguna Canyon Road.

In April, the council approved a contract with Griffin Structures Inc. to coordinate public outreach and help select a design team, the city website said. City staff is also discussing with the Orange County Public Works the possibility of covering the flood control channel to allow for a bike lane or pedestrian boardwalk.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in council chambers, 505 Forest Ave.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce