By Allison Jarrell, Special to the Independent
After listening to impassioned residents plead both for and against a proposed downtown “parklet,” the Laguna Beach City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with designing a pedestrian-only space on lower Park Avenue.
Prior to that decision, the Council also approved associated traffic improvements, including longer turn pockets on southbound Coast Highway at Broadway and Legion streets to help avoid congestion.
The idea for the pedestrian space, referred to as “Park Plaza,” was first pitched in July 2017 by local nonprofit Transition Laguna Beach, along with the Laguna Beach Beautification Council and Chamber of Commerce. The temporary closure of the 200 block of Park Avenue from October through January created an outdoor café environment that aimed to bring residents downtown and allow tourists to extend their visit, with the hope of benefitting local businesses and “fostering connectivity.”
Police officials reported that the street closure increased pedestrian safety at Park Avenue and Coast Highway and few other issues, with no increase in calls for service in the area.
Police Chief Laura Farinella clarified that while it isn’t legal for people to drink in the plaza, the hours were extended to 2:30 a.m. during the trial as it was a natural open area for people to walk through after going to local bars.
“It made more sense to keep it open beyond the hours of the restaurants when they close, to allow them the opportunity to gather, sit and talk, sober up, and then get in their cars and drive home,” Farinella said.
Assistant City Manager Christa Johnson said about two-thirds of community feedback has been in opposition of the plaza, which doesn’t account for comments sent directly to Council members.
Proponents cited its potential for community building and driving visitors to the downtown business area as benefits, Johnson said. Those who opposed the project voiced concerns such as traffic circulation, a loss of parking, an unfair advantage for adjacent businesses and a common belief that Main Beach Park would be a better locale for a plaza.
Johnson said three surveys issued to Park Plaza users, residents and merchants found that overall, the plaza’s presence increased peoples’ desire to purchase food and spend more time downtown. Users’ main recommendation for improving the plaza was to make it more permanent and attractive. Those who were surveyed suggest adding more seating and amenities such as food, and beautifying the street barrier.
More than 20 residents spoke on both sides of the issue Tuesday, with some flashing orange “Yes to Park Plaza” signs after pro-plaza comments.
Plaza opponent Darrell McKibben, a 51-year resident, described relying on lower Park Avenue as a shortcut to Glenneyre Street to avoid congestion on Coast Highway and Forest Avenue.
“I go to Newport Beach every day to work,” McKibben said. “When I come down, I want to get off Coast Highway as soon as possible. In the last year and a half, my wife got t-boned at Cleo by the Taco Bell, and I got rear ended up by the Pottery Barn. I’m scared to death to drive on Coast Highway anymore. So this is my shortcut.”
Billy Fried, of Transition Laguna, cited a city survey of 80 random people, two-thirds of whom expressed support for the plaza. “That’s real quantitative evidence,” Fried said. “Not a passionate few that don’t want to lose their cross-through.”
Resident Chris Prelitz presented a design plan to shorten the plaza by 25 feet, which could save three or four parking spaces, a bike corral and a space for motorcycles near the library.
The design would allow people to park nearby while maintaining a full closure at the crosswalk end of lower Park Avenue. Mayor Kelly Boyd said he’d like to see such a plan presented and potentially do a walk-through.
The Council directed staff to begin the design process for both a permanent or a semi-permanent Park Plaza, to incorporate a plaza element in the Downtown Specific Plan process, and to move forward simultaneously with the approved traffic improvements.
Staff reported the design process could take 12 to 18 months, in addition to the permit process. Construction could potentially begin in 2020.
As for funding, City Manager John Pietig said there’s still about $15,000 left from the original $75,100 budgeted for the temporary project. If more funds are needed for the design, city staff will bring that request back before the Council.
“You’re still talking a year and a half, two years before you probably get it done, but even to reach this type of a conclusion is a milestone for our community,” Pietig said.
A solution in search of a problem.
Maybe the grain of good idea initially but in a poorly thought out location, making it a feel good but irrelevant installation.
Stupid is as stupid does, here for 45 years it never ceases to amaze me how my City finds ways to blow big $$$ on what’s unimportant, minor tweaking while ignoring the larger good for residents: Commerce first, locals second.
(1) Most of the time those chairs/tables are empty. During the pilot/demo phase I went down there 2-3/week at different times of day/evening. Ditto. Many times no one there period, weekends a handful. So few go there on weekdays off-season, locals stayed away in droves, it’s success greatly exaggerated by proponents (many paid and/or on the Chamber/Visitor’s Bureau payroll). Special business interests want it.
(2) Two of the 3 NGO’s mentioned in support, Beautification Council & Transition Laguna (501 c 3 public benefit), have had their non-profit status suspended by the State Franchise Tax Board. Look them up. The Chamber is a special interest 501 c 4.
(3) As a land use/regulatory compliance advisor myself, I see no mention of CalTrans. Hey, City Council? Any thing you do to PCH is in their domain, jurisdiction. That includes the obvious re-routing, re-circulation projections. The City paid a vendor to tell them what they wanted to hear/achieve, interesting that 2/3 of the letters were opposed, so they’re ignoring the will of the residents AND blowing more of our $$$.
(4) Under CEQA, any potentially significant impacts must be considered, analyzed and mitigated. What LB is proposing will irrevocably, irreparably alter the downtown traffic circulation patterns, and there’s no proof as an improvement. It should have an independent, 3rd party enviro-analysis/review, not rubber-stamping. And that would include detailed feedback/input from Cal Trans expert engineers
(5) Losing those staging/parking spaces on PCH + parklet will put more stress on visitors trying to pickup/drop off or park family vehicles in proximity to the beach. That’s a Cal Coastal Commission issue because Beach Parking==Public Access. Also, the reduction of ≈ 15+ spaces total must be balanced, made up somewhere else: Yet no such plan is included. It should go through the CCC to determine if the combo of parking space loss + circulation alterations make Main Beach LESS attractive/usable/functional. Including amending not only the Downtown Specific Plan but amend our Local Coastal Plan.
(6) Downtown vendor trucks (food, Fed-Ex, OC Library, north side PCH merchants) will no longer have anywhere to park in the early am hours as now. None is allowed in the alley behind The White House/Library, the meter cops chase them off or ticket them. So no staging plan in place or proposed. And look for beach visitors to fudge, use the Library lot, reducing OUR (locals) access to that facility.
(7) This is a poorly thought out attempt that creates a cold breezeway that will NOT be utilized at least 9 months out of the year while putting stress on other contiguous locations. During poor weather or off hours it eliminates a small yet highly valuable cut-through to assure/relieve circulation stress. And due to the wind pattern, Venturi Effect (air speeding up going through the compressed space), coupled with the car pollution, those who do sit there will be in the shadows bundled up, inhaling concentrated PCH particulates.
Our City Council listened to a very small yet vocal sample of residents, came up with something right out of DUMB & DUMBER.”
Bad Idea city should spend money on Undergrounding the power poles. How the heck they can’t come up with the funds for that, but they can come up for the dumb park. It is hard enough to get to the library.
[…] reminded council members of a package of traffic improvementsapproved last month between Broadway and Legion Streets, and a decision to hike parking citation […]