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Planning commission backs Laguna Beach promenade; council declares Forest a ‘slow street,’ delays implementation
Summary
Laguna Beach planning commission voted 5-0 to support a downtown promenade project. City Council declared Forest Avenue a slow street to use a CEQA exemption but deferred implementation until the city's slow-streets ordinance takes effect in 30 days. A coastal development permit has been filed and may be subject to appeal.
Mayor Alex Runagi said the Laguna Beach Planning Commission voted 5-0 to support the proposed downtown promenade, a step he described as “big news” for residents and the city’s effort to create a more pedestrian-oriented downtown.
At the City Council meeting the night before, council members also took action to declare Forest Avenue a slow street, which Runagi said would allow the city to close the road and leverage a statutory exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The council decided to delay implementation until the city’s slow-streets ordinance becomes effective in about 30 days.
A coastal development permit for the promenade was filed and was considered by the community development director, Runagi said. He and the host, Tom Johnson, discussed several avenues for appeal that residents or businesses might use, including appeals under the coastal development permit process, CEQA and the city’s design-review criteria.
Runagi said he was not surprised by the planning commission’s unanimous vote, adding that the promenade aligns with the council’s goal of creating a pedestrian-oriented downtown. He also acknowledged that if an appeal were filed he would avoid taking a public position until any design review or appeal process required an official determination from him as mayor.
Both speakers noted potential points of contention that could prompt appeals: removal or replacement of trees, changes to gutters in a flood zone, parking impacts for adjacent businesses and the project’s final design. Runagi said the project involves “a lot of moving parts” and that the state’s regulatory processes can make major projects complicated.
The council’s action to declare Forest a slow street was reported as intended to allow a temporary closure with a CEQA exemption, but the council also voted to wait until the slow-streets ordinance is effective before implementing closures. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote for the council action or any vote tallies for that item.
The conversation did not record specific design details, the exact text of the coastal permit application, or a timeline for construction. Runagi said the city expects possible appeals but did not identify likely appellants. He encouraged continuing progress while acknowledging the potential for appeals and further review.
