City may buy office building

Fifteen city of Laguna Beach employees will receive new workspaces as part of a planned office building purchase, pending City Council and Planning Commission approval.

The city agreed to buy a 2,400-square-foot space at 479 Ocean Ave., across from City Hall, for $1.4 million, according to a city press release.

The four-unit building, which sits above a covered parking garage, will also house supplies and equipment, the release and a city staff report said. The city is expected to acquire title to the property on July 18.

Funding set aside in the Capital Improvement Fund to relocate employees displaced by the Village Entrance project will pay for the building purchase, according to the city.

The employees currently work in temporary trailers and satellite structures behind City Hall.

This acquisition means the city will not need to build a new building at the Act V parking lot, which would have eliminated 25 parking spaces, cost $2 million and added a year to the Village Entrance project.

The City Council approved a preliminary financing plan for the Village Entrance, which calls for a multi-level parking structure and pedestrian-friendly park, near the intersection of Forest Avenue and Laguna Canyon Road at a special meeting Tuesday.

Council members will vote on whether City Manager John Pietig may accept the property’s title at their regular meeting Tuesday night.

Planning Commissioners also must confirm the acquisition aligns with the city’s general plan, the staff report said.