In 1966 my wife Beverly and I rented a ceramic studio at 406 Canyon Acres Drive. The street was funky and eclectic then with many young artists and craftsmen working together. Living on Canyon Acres was like a dream come true for me and my young wife. In 1968 the Sawdust Festival started and I became a founding member. For over 46 years, I have exhibited my ceramics at the Sawdust and Festival of Arts.
In 1975 my wife and I, along with my sister Nikki and her husband Jay Grant, were able to purchase our Canyon Acres property that had three ceramic studios and three rustic cottages. Canyon Acres was a magical place to live and work and it was the happiest time of our lives.
In 1993 the firestorm hit Laguna and our property burned to the ground, along with many other homes on our street. But we rebuilt and though the character of Canyon Acres changed a little with new construction, our street is still a wonderful place to live.
I have heard about the proposed high-density housing project at the bottom of our street by developer Mohammed Honarkar. I cannot believe the city would ever allow something like that to happen in our beautiful neighborhood. A massive building project with all the additional people and cars would forever change our street.
This must not happen. It will terribly affect every one of us who live here on Canyon Acres Drive.
Mark Blumenfeld, Laguna Beach
