LAGUNA BEACH : City Seeks State Funds for Purchase
Responding to criticism that municipal projects may suffer if the city buys the Laguna Laurel property, the City Council pledged Tuesday to avoid the use of capital improvement funds to buy open space.
The funds pay for such items as street maintenance and new trees.
But the city will seek land-acquisition money from the state Transportation Commission, which has available $10 million a year for 10 years to compensate for the environmental impact of projects such as the San Joaquin Transportation Corridor through Laguna Canyon.
In a memo to council members, City Manager Kenneth C. Frank said the Laguna Laurel purchase fits the criteria for the funding because it will be affected by “several transportation projects,” including the corridor planned for the southern edge of the property.
Although the city officially is opposed to the toll road, it is applying for the state funds available in next year’s budget in case the corridor is built.
The application for the grant money depends on voter approval next Tuesday of Measure H, a $20-million bond measure that would help cover the $78-million purchase of the Laguna Laurel property owned by the Irvine Co.
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