Suspected Slide in Laguna Beach Feared Larger

The size of a suspected ancient landslide beneath a neighborhood already hard hit by fire and an earlier slide may be larger than previously believed, according to geologists.

In a proposal made public Monday, Geofirm--a geotechnical consulting company--recommended an extensive study of the geology underlying about 65 lots in the Temple Hills area. Initial reports had indicated that no more than three streets might be affected, but geologists now say the study area should include portions of eight streets.

The area--including parts of Bayview Place, Buena Vista Way, Temple Hills Drive, Canyon View Drive, Wendt Terrace, Griffith Way, Glomstad Lane and Wilcox Drive--is the second fire-damaged neighborhood here to be shaken by reports of suspected ancient landslides.

The findings, if correct, threaten to delay the efforts of victims of the devastating Oct. 27 fire to rebuild their homes and raise questions about whether the owners of surviving houses may be required to perform costly stabilization.

In March, the city learned that an ancient landslide could lie under 50 lots in the Mystic Hills neighborhood and contracted with Geofirm to study the area. That report, due to be delivered to city officials on Wednesday, confirms that a slide exists there but also shows that it affects fewer than 20 lots, about half the size of the original study area, according to a source close to the investigation.

Last month, after reports from geologists and one property owner of the possibility of similar problems under Buena Vista Way and two nearby streets in the Temple Hills area, city officials asked Geofirm to prepare a proposal to examine that area as well.

The two-part study, which would cost the city $38,000, is scheduled to be considered at tonight’s City Council meeting.

The contract calls for a study that would take an estimated six to eight weeks and involve drilling test borings an average of 80 feet deep. The suspected slide, evidence of which was discovered by geologists contracted by private homeowners to prepare geological studies of their property in the wake of the fire, is believed to lie 65 to 76 feet below the surface.

Of the affected lots, 15 or 16 were damaged or destroyed by the fire, with the remainder involving existing homes and a few vacant lots, said Terry Brandt, municipal services director.

Officials with Geofirm declined to comment Monday either on the Temple Hills proposal or the Mystic Hills report, now nearly completed.

Laguna Beach Councilman Wayne L. Peterson said Monday he thinks the city should move rapidly to study the second area.

“It’s essentially taking the same action we took in Mystic Hills,” he said. “I think that’s what we need to do and do it as quickly as we can.

“We’ve always known there were problems (on city hillsides), we just didn’t know to what degree.”

On Monday, life continued as usual for some residents in the affected section of Temple Hills.

Charlotte Moore, a Temple Hills Drive resident whose home suffered relatively minor damage in the fire, appeared unfazed by the latest dose of bad news.

“We’ve never had any slide problems and we’ve been here 22 years, so we’re not really worried about it,” she said.

On nearby Buena Vista Way, where a small landslide in March, 1993, caused two homes to slide toward each other, another resident paused while walking his dog to discuss the report that his property may sit atop an ancient landslide. The man, who asked not to be identified, said he was not shocked by the latest development.

“We’ve got this house up here,” he said, gesturing toward a condemned, still-sagging house up the street. “We’ve had fires, we’ve had floods, we’ve had earthquakes. So why should we be shocked?”

Other area homeowners, who received maps and notices from the city over the weekend that their properties lay inside the study area, appeared equally sanguine Monday.

Carol Olson, whose Canyon View Drive home is still under repair after it was damaged in last year’s landslide, noted that geologists told city officials then that the slippage might have occurred because water leaking from a broken pipe had reactivated an ancient landslide. The responsibility for that slide, which forced the condemnation of two other houses, is still the subject of litigation.

Of the latest disclosure, Olson said she “pretty much took it in stride.” After all, she said, “most of Laguna seems to have ancient landslides under it.”

Several streets down the hill, Barbara Morrissey said she was confident the old slide would not affect her Wendt Terrace property, which came through the fire unscathed.

“It only affects the folks who are trying to rebuild,” Morrissey said. “They’re not going to make the people whose houses are OK tear them down and rebuild them again. It hasn’t concerned me in any way.”

With regard to the Mystic Hills problem, city staff previously suggested that the city consider creating a special tax assessment district to pay for any required stabilization of the hillsides.

In the meantime, Laguna’s post-fire rebuilding effort is inching forward. As of Friday, 153 applications had been submitted to the city for plan checks. Only five permits have been issued.

Without the necessary geological clearance, fire victims whose lots are in the potential problem areas cannot obtain building permits from the city.

However, city officials say that displaced residents can still have their architectural plans prepared and get preliminary approvals from the city.

Search for Slide Area

If the Laguna Beach City Council approves, geologists will extract earth samples to determine if an ancient landslide exists under the Temple Hills neighborhood. The study would take about six to eight weeks and involve about 65 lots. Earlier this year a different slide area was identified in the Mystic Hills neighborhood.

Mystic Hills: City expects report Wednesday

Temple Hills: Drilling will be in two phases