Laguna beach city news City of Laguna Beach, California

Citywide Road Resurfacing Projects to Improve Laguna Beach Roadways

The City of Laguna Beach is pleased to announce several long-awaited reconstruction and resurfacing projects aimed at significantly improving area roadways. These initiatives reflect our commitment to maintaining high-quality roadways and ensuring safe travel throughout the city.

Ongoing Street Resurfacing Projects

Several streets are currently undergoing pavement upgrades. These streets, last resurfaced in 2010, are expected to be completed by the end of September 2024:

• Park Avenue (Coast Highway to Wendt Terrace)
• Thalia Street (Coast Highway to Temple Hills Drive)
• Glenneyre Street (Forest Avenue to Thalia Street)

Upcoming City Street Resurfacing Projects

• El Toro Road (Laguna Canyon Road to easterly City limits)
• Diamond/Crestview Neighborhood

El Toro Road was last resurfaced in 2013, and the Diamond/Crestview neighborhood in 2008. The City Council will review a construction contract for these projects on September 24, 2024. If approved, work is anticipated to begin in October and conclude by December 2024.

Major Caltrans Coast Highway Resurfacing Project Happening in October

A major focus of Caltrans resurfacing efforts is a segment of Coast Highway (between Ledroit Street and Ruby Street) scheduled to happen from October 7 - 22.

This vital stretch, last resurfaced in 1999, is scheduled for a significant road reconstruction project now that the majority of sidewalk and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) improvements are done. The Caltrans work is set to occur overnight from October 7, 2024, to October 22, 2024. Again, the majority of the work will occur at night, and may have noise impacts nearby. This upgrade will address long-standing wear and tear, significantly improving driving conditions and safety along this essential corridor.

Additionally, Coast Highway (between Ruby Street and Seventh Avenue) is planned for a major reconstruction in the fall of 2025. This stretch has not been resurfaced since before 1999, and reconstruction will occur after current efforts to improve sidewalks and ADA accessibility are completed.

The Next Regular Meeting of the City Council is Tuesday, September 24 at 5:00 P.M.

The "Tentative Agenda" is strictly tentative and there is no guarantee that items listed will be agendized as scheduled due to changing priorities, new information, staff workloads, and other unforeseeable events.

City Manager Shares Update on Laguna Canyon Road and Future Management Possibilities

Laguna Beach Community,

Over the past several weeks, a number of Laguna Beach residents have emailed or met with me asking good questions about Laguna Canyon Road (“LCR”) and the possibility that the City may agree to Caltrans’ “relinquishment” of the road to the City. I’ve appreciated that good and thoughtful input very much.

State highway relinquishment is a State-sponsored and precise process whereby the California Transportation Commission “relinquishes” (not sells) a road to another level of government (a willing one). This happens primarily for a couple of reasons:

1. The road is not part of a State network of roads that is necessary for large-scale, regional transportation;
2. A local agency near the road may want to redesign the road in a manner that is contrary to Caltrans’ design standards but makes more sense for the community; and
3. The State sees the benefit (in terms of avoided maintenance and other costs) of not owning the road.

The road is not “sold” to the locality. It’s given to the locality, typically with an amount of funds that Caltrans would otherwise have to spend to bring a deficient road to a “state of good repair.”

Find Answers to These Key Questions in the Letter from the City Manager:

1. Why would relinquishment of LCR even be of interest for Laguna Beach?
2. What are the projected costs? And where would funds come from?
3. What is envisioned regarding proposed improvements to LCR?
4. Can these improvements also be done if Caltrans remains the owner of the road?
5. Will the capacity of LCR be expanded?
6. What about long-term liability?
7. Is the City alone on the hook for the estimated $140M in costs?
8. I heard that the reduction in wildfire risk via LCR undergrounding isn’t significant. Is that so?
9. Is this a done deal?
10. So, all that noted - is taking over LCR the right course for Laguna Beach?

Thanks for reading, and thanks to those who asked the good questions. Please stay up to speed on this issue with our Protect and Connect website including notifications of upcoming community open houses on this issue.

- Dave Kiff, City Manager

City Collects Feedback from Community on Facilities Master Plan

We are excited to bring you updates from the recent tabling event for the Laguna Beach Facilities Master Plan! A booth was held on Wednesday evening, September 18 at the Laguna Beach Community and Susi Q Center. The project team spoke with 22 members of the community who provided feedback on the current conditions and possibilities for the future of the City’s local facilities. Here are the key takeaways:

• Arts: Residents emphasize the need for affordable, dedicated studio spaces and year-round art sales/demo locations to sustain Laguna Beach’s artistic community.
• Education: South Laguna parents stress the need for a new school due to limited options following recent closures and long travel distances.
• Community Recreation Center: Many residents feel the CRC is underutilized and suggest more free programming or converting it back into a school to serve South Laguna's education needs.
• Parking: Parking remains a major challenge, especially during summer, with ideas like relocating tennis courts to accommodate new parking structures.
• Community Parks: Safety concerns arise over dogs in children’s parks, with residents suggesting a separate park to keep Village Green Park dog-free.
• Susi Q: Positive feedback for the Susi Q Center, with requests for more varied programming like jewelry and cooking classes, and more weekend activities.
• Library: Residents suggest exterior improvements for the library, relocation of the voting box, and repurposing the Chamber of Commerce's space for community meetings.

Residents are welcome to email their thoughts and ideas about the City’s facilities to Louie Lacasella at llacasella@lagunabeachcity.net.