Jeweler Opposes Forest Avenue Closure

Editor,

I own Rock Martin Custom Jewelry on Forest Avenue.  There has been a lot of chatter going around about closing the west end of Forest Avenue and making it into a promenade type of setting. (“City Experiments With Downtown Street Closures,” May 8 edition.)

We have been down this road in the past with different factions and parties trying to place their ideals and concepts on the street where I have a business. It’s so easy for people to come along who do not have a vested interest on Forest Avenue and try to make it a “festive fun” atmosphere. The problem is it is a terrible concept.

Forest Avenue does not have four solid blocks of parking structures on the street parallel to support a promenade like Santa Monica does. Laguna Beach has a serious traffic and parking issue. So the city along with the Chamber of Commerce are proposing blocking a major traffic artery and removing 50 parking places as well? I would like to know whose idea this is?

Citizens of Laguna should really be outraged by the idea of making traffic through downtown worse and parking even more impossible. This seems insane to me. Every time there has been a closure of Forest Avenue our business suffers. The Chamber’s Thursday night of the month promenade was a disaster for us. We may as well have been closed as soon as the street closed.

The focus on Forest Avenue has to be the stores. We pay extremely high rent here. To install what will amount to a gathering place for the homeless population as well as a park like setting is completely ludicrous. What will this do to enhance my business? Nothing. It will detract from my business.

The argument about all the European cities that have this set up is invalid. People in Europe use public transportation. Every person that comes to this town arrives by car. When they find parking, do I really want them sitting on park benches or walking up and down the sidewalk peering into the store windows?

Last time this was proposed, the merchants overwhelmingly rejected this idea. It’s time to band together again. If the idea does not increase the revenue of the businesses or relieve traffic and parking for the locals, what is the point?  It has been tried and tested and found to be unsuccessful every single time.

Michael McFadden, Laguna Beach