Editor,
Downtown congestion! A constant theme of recent letters to local newspapers. And it’s true! It can take more than 20 minutes to drive from the top of the Third Street hill to Broadway Street. It should be clear to all (and that means you, too, City Council) that we need fewer cars in town. Unfortunately, the proposed $55 million plus village entrance 500-car parking structure won’t help. All those cars have to enter and leave a structure that will be at the intersection that leads to Laguna Canyon Road or points North. Instead, consider the more modest village entrance plans proposed in the past, double deck ACT V, put peripheral parking at both the north and south ends of Coast Highway, accompanied by shuttle service. Keep the cars out of downtown Laguna!
Much mention has been made of the new Irvine Company developments and their anticipated impact on Laguna Beach. Has the City Council spoken to the Irvine Company about this? Perhaps the Irvine Company would be willing to provide a shuttle service for their residents into Laguna. In case any City Council members have forgotten, Laguna Beach has had a history of successful negotiations with the Irvine Company. Let’s see some evidence of action from the City Council on this front.
Undergrounding! The City Council has finally taken notice of this essential safety necessity. Furthermore, if the poles were removed on Laguna Canyon Road at least one more lane could be added to ease traffic. Undergrounding should be the number one priority for our city. Let’s see significant and concrete progress on this issue from the City Council.
I hope the City Council will pay attention to the voice of the people. And, I hope they read Billy Fried’s excellent commentary (Coastline Pilot, Aug. 9) and seriously consider his proposals. If the City Council doesn’t show some concrete evidence of being willing to significantly scale down their current village entrance plan and consider alternatives, then let the people vote!
Anne Frank, Laguna Beach
