If only Mr. Ray had mused with some facts in his column on Sept. 27.
In his column he claims that “our City Council thinks all of downtown is ‘historic’ and nothing should change, ever.” However, a quick look at the 1981 Historic Resources Inventory, Item O, Downtown Laguna, shows us something completely different. This was a survey of a “triangular area of 10 blocks of commercial buildings and residential cottages” built from 1897 to 1940. Of the roughly 335 parcels I see on the map of this area, 56 were found by the city to be historic in 1981. 56/335=17 percent. So, in 1981 approx. 17 percent of the parcels had any historic merit. Fast forward to the recently updated Historic Resources Inventory. Of the 56 historic properties from the 1981 inventory, only 21 still remain on the updated inventory. So, of the roughly 335 properties in the downtown area, only 6 percent are now on the inventory. Less than 1 in 10.
Mr. Ray goes on to claim, “If you want to update your building, you have to go through a process that takes a good 18 months and is very expensive and demeaning. The city wants it that way to discourage change.” I’m not sure where Mr. Ray gets his 18-month claim. Is he quoting city data? Peter Blake makes a similar claim that it “takes 2-5 years for the average remodel to get approved.” Again, Mr. Blake gives no source for his figures. I’ve remodeled 17 properties in Laguna in the last 10 years, and all but one took less than 12 months to get the permits and complete the construction.
Instead of making up facts and figures, I’d appreciate if Mr. Ray would help find solutions that bridge business owner’s needs with city and historical considerations. Like Mr. Ray, I have plenty of relatives in the Midwest (Nebraska, Minnesota and Indiana to be exact) and I’m sure they would all agree that starting a PAC (Liberate Laguna PAC, backed by Mr. Ray and others) is out of place in a small city election, unless they had something to gain. And that’s common sense that I’m sure Mr. Ray’s cousin Donald could agree with.
Clark Collins, Laguna Beach
Respectfully Mr Collins, what about the village laguna Pac, so nobody else should have a pac, they are literally lying and sending in letters that are not true, what are they doing with the over $100,000 in contributions, pushing Iseman who for the last 20 years has spent like a drunken sailer, she can’t even vocalize at the forums, she sits there like in a state of confusion and defends herself AND LIES..she is village laguna, the rest of us want change..give me Peter Blake anytime and let’s throw in Cheryl K a CMA..yes, lets go over those books and finally get some accountability. We all know VL has monopolised this town for too long…WE NEED FRESH IDEA AND ENERGY
About Clark Collins: he is a Member of The Heritage Commission who recommended denying a home I own be removed from Permanent Historic List.
At about the same time he purchased an old fixer upper for $1.05 million and within six months somehow got permits to fix it up, did so, then listed it for sale at $1.8 million.
In his online sales pitch, he extolled the Historic virtuous of the home’s previous tenants, the homes historic lines and provenance.
But did Mr. Collins, proud Heritage Commission Member, place that home on any historic list whatsoever?
The answer is no. Draw your own conclusions as to his personal veracity, or better stated, blatant hypocrisy
Michael – How about just owning the fact that your claim that all of downtown is historic is false? How about just owning the fact that your claim that it takes 18+ months to get a remodel permit is false? Rather than changing your views when presented with alternative facts, you dig your heels in with irrelevant claims about me, my position on Heritage and the fact that I remodeled an old home in Laguna that was not on the Inventory or the Register. Your full of hot air Michael. Get a life!