LAGUNA BEACH : Plan to Develop Alleyway Advances

A plan to renovate and decorate a heavily traveled Laguna Beach alley got a boost from the City Council last week as members voted unanimously to spend $25,000 to pursue the project.

Council members acknowledged that, due to budget constraints, the Forest Avenue alley face lift--which could cost roughly $250,000--may not be complete for years.

However, since some design work and fund raising has been done by community volunteers, the council chose to move forward with the proposal by paying a design consultant to prepare a plan for the alleyway.

The approval was contingent upon the consultant’s willingness to create a two-phase construction plan, for the $25,000 fee, allowing paving and drainage work to proceed while holding back on aesthetic changes until money is available.

Although he voted to endorse the project, Councilman Robert F. Gentry expressed reservations about such spending during fiscally trying times.

“We’re facing a fairly severe budget shortfall,” Gentry said. “I’m real concerned that we’re going to be laying off staff and then going out and doing something that’s a wonderful project but, basically, aesthetic.”

Originally, the city had planned only to patch up the alley, a 600-foot-long strip of pavement between Ocean and Forest avenues, which has been scarred by potholes and is plagued with drainage problems. The alley is open to traffic from Beach Street to Coast Highway and is also used regularly by pedestrians.

However, as long as the city was fixing the alley roadbed, some residents and city leaders thought it wise to also consider sprucing up the area by camouflaging trash bins and decorating the passageway with touches such as tiles, landscaping, artwork and perhaps tables and chairs. Some have suggested that the alley should be converted to a modified pedestrian mall where delivery trucks are allowed only during specific hours of the day.

The idea caught on in the community, and late last year volunteer teams--comprising artists, architects, merchants and residents--formed to create possible designs.

Chamber of Commerce President Becky Carey said the organization is planning fund-raisers to support the renovation.

While the city may have to rely on volunteers and private donations to complete the project, council members made it clear they thought it wise not to slow the momentum.

“I think this has been a model for community involvement,” council member Ann Christoph said. “I think it would be a mistake to drop it at this point after everyone has put so much enthusiasm and work into it.”