Laguna Beach to begin work on downtown promenade’s permanent conversion

Laguna Beach is targeting a June completion date for the permanent conversion of Lower Forest Avenue into a pedestrian plaza.

The City Council Tuesday awarded a contract in the amount of $5.5 million to Superb Engineering, one of several actions taken this week to move the project forward.

The panel also authorized an allowance of up to $1.1 million for project-related expenses and contract change orders. Additionally, Nexgen Design Builders, Inc. will provide construction management and inspection services in accordance with a $340,950 contract.

The Promenade on Forest was introduced to the community in the summer of 2020, as city officials looked for a way to revitalize the downtown amid the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictive protocols that came with it.

Since then, the lower portion of the street — closest to Main Beach — has been closed off to vehicular traffic. A performance stage allowed for live music, while multiple restaurants have used wooden decks and parklets to offer outdoor dining experiences.

A permanent promenade became a vision of the council in the years that followed, and the city had $2.8 million earmarked for that project. The conversion is estimated to cost as much as $7.3 million, including the construction contingency allotment, according to a financial analysis provided in a staff report.

To cover the funding gap, City Engineer Tom Perez said city staff took $4.4 million from capital improvement projects not yet ready for construction this fiscal year.

Village Laguna and Friends of Forest Avenue challenged the conversion in an appeal to the Coastal Commission, but on Aug. 15, the commission found no substantial issues with the project. Appellants expressed concerns about the city’s ability to mitigate the loss of 48 parking spaces in the downtown area or manage the risk of flooding, questioning whether the project was consistent with the community’s character.

Psomas, a city consultant, determined there would be “no rise” to a 100-year base flood water surface elevation as a result of improvements from the project. Curbs and gutters are to be removed, while improvements will be made for drainage, landscaping and lighting.

Perez covered some of the impacts on residents and nearby businesses during construction. Outdoor dining on the promenade will be suspended in late January, he said, through the completion of construction.

“The contractor is required to maintain pedestrian access through the promenade and into all of the businesses,” Perez said. “With that, we anticipate that we will require some night work. For instance, when we’re doing demo[lition], and maybe pouring concrete in front of front doors, that’s work that may need to occur at night in order to accommodate the business and access into the business.

“We’re also requiring them to provide a pedestrian access plan, and on that plan, they will need to demonstrate how they will provide adequate signage, directing people how to walk through the promenade safely, how to get from one side to the other.”

Members of the City Council expressed a desire to work with businesses throughout the process.

“[With] a project of this nature, there is going to be some tension involved,” said Mayor Mark Orgill, who serves on a council subcommittee for the project along with Councilmember Sue Kempf. “There always is. It’s unavoidable, but the question is how well you manage it. I can tell you, from my perspective, that we’re going to do everything we can to manage it. I really appreciate everything that public works has put into this. …

“There’s some questions on the floodplain, around that, but a company of the magnitude of Psomas, with their reputation, they don’t just stamp these things lightly. This is serious business, and they’re the ones that conducted this work, and I have all of the faith in their ability, as thorough as they’ve been with the floodplain analysis.”

City staff shared plans to conduct a meeting between business owners, the construction contractor and the construction management company next week.

“We want to be really clear that, to the extent that we possibly can, we want to make it as easy for the businesses as possible to stay open and do well,” said Kempf, who added she believes “it will be a good project.”