Laguna Beach

Parking Plan Readied: Some relief for motorists forced to hunt for parking spaces in Laguna Beach may be in the offing if the City Council on Tuesday approves a proposal to convert Ocean Avenue to a one-way street between Coast Highway and Forest Avenue. Under the plan, recommended by the city’s Parking, Traffic and Circulation Committee, the street would be converted to a one-way street with angled parking along one side. There now is room for 35 automobiles to park bumper to bumper, while converting the street to angled parking would add another 33 spaces, City Manager Ken Frank said. Although the project would cost about $8,000, Frank said that adding an equivalent number of spaces downtown through construction of a parking garage would cost at least $500,000. If approved by the council, the street could be changed to one-way traffic, while parking meters that would permit two hour’s parking for 50 cents an hour could be installed within four months, he said.