Laguna Council Approves Festival of the Arts Face Lift

The Laguna Beach City Council has unanimously approved the first phase of a $6.8-million face lift for the Festival of the Arts compound, bringing the city and the festival board closer than ever to striking a long-term lease.

“I think it was a milestone that indicated we’re together on the planning and renovation process,” Mayor Wayne Baglin said Thursday. “And we’re going to do our best to have a lease in place by the time the festival opens.”

The initial projects will cost about $1.8 million and include upgrades to the administration building and the storm-drain system. The first phase also calls for renovating the 60-year-old workshops used for the Pageant of the Masters show, which runs in tandem with the festival. Construction is to begin in September and take a year to complete.

The council also gave conceptual approval to several other renovations expected to cost about $5 million.

These include building a new facade at the entrance and a new exhibit area, as well as expanding the seating and improving the sound system. The plans also call for renovating the backstage area and orchestra pit at the Irvine Bowl amphitheater.

Laguna Beach has hosted the eight-week exhibition of more than 150 regional artists since 1932.

The city has tried to negotiate a new lease for nearly two years, ever since the festival’s former board of directors threatened to move the event to San Clemente. The council approved the work Tuesday night in a move that the new festival board considered critical to striking a long-term lease.

The outcome of the current discussions could hinge on how far the city is willing to go to meet the board’s entire wish list.

“This is a first step,” said Scott Moore, president of the festival’s board of directors.

“By approving the entire concept plan and getting it started, negotiators have jumped over their first hurdle.... Now they can get to discussing the possible dollars of our lease.”

Other redesign plans drawn up by the festival directors include a new gallery to house the ever-expanding art collection that now has no home. Also, the Irvine Bowl amphitheater would be fitted with a retractable roof, and a larger community theater would be built for use by other local groups and troupes.

Aside from making capital improvements and meeting standards outlined by the Americans With Disabilities Act, the goal of the redesign is to create facilities that can be better accessed and used by the entire community throughout the year, rather than for just the two months the festival runs.