Seeking an Environmental Consensus : * Input, Not Bloodletting, Is Needed on Proposed Widening of Laguna Canyon Road

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of room for compromise on the issue of updating scenic Laguna Canyon Road, but it doesn’t hurt to try. This month, city, county and environmental leaders will meet to determine whether they can agree on ways to expand, reroute or straighten the much-traveled, much-treasured but at times dangerous route from the San Diego Freeway to Laguna Beach.

Just getting the city of Laguna Beach to agree to attend the meetings was an accomplishment. Councilwoman Lida Lenney expressed fears of many that even discussing the matter of improving Laguna Canyon Road might send the wrong message.

Laguna Beach residents, after all, are so fiercely protective of the canyon that two years ago 8,000 people showed up to protest a proposal by the Irvine Co. to build 3,200 homes there. The showing brought the developer to the bargaining table, resulting in a historic agreement for the city to purchase part of the canyon. The message was clear: Residents like the rustic canyon as is.

But county officials see Laguna Canyon Road as something more than a scenic route. To them, it is part of a network of roads that carry people throughout the county. They want to build a consensus with the city and environmentalists on some improvements, with recent efforts focusing on the 4.6-mile stretch from El Toro Road to the San Diego Freeway.

There does seem to be some room for discussion. Recently, for example, some environmentalists who had been opposed to any and all improvements on the highway said that it might be good to route the highway away from three natural lakes that are suffering because of their nearness to traffic.

For those concerned about preserving Laguna Canyon, the thought of widening its main road is like a call to battle. But if there are ways to improve it that would sit well with the city and environmentalists, everyone might benefit.