Planning Commission approves Forest Promenade design, signs off on CEQA exemption

The Laguna Beach Planning Commission on April 2 approved design review (DR 25-0319) and a coastal development permit (CDP 25-0318) for the Forest Promenade project, a proposed permanent pedestrian plaza on Lower Forest Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach.

The item drew lengthy public comment and a detailed consultant presentation. City staff and design consultant SWA explained the project scope, outreach and design intent: transform Lower Forest Avenue into a pedestrian-priority promenade featuring a continuous paving field, expanded tree plantings and seating, planting areas, flexible dining zones, lighting, and removable bollards for emergency access. Louie Lacasello (Community Development) summarized city outreach and entitlement history; Sean O’Malley and Evan Lee from SWA presented the design, focus-group process, materials mock-ups and arborist recommendations.

The project team and staff emphasized the outreach process — multiple city workshops, focused stakeholder groups, and an ad-hoc Council committee — and reviewed deferred decision points the commission requested at an earlier review: (1) the two ficus trees at each end of the promenade (limb or remove and replace), (2) whether to place a specimen oak at a central corner, (3) tree-grate dimensions, (4) walkway width (15 feet vs. 17 feet), (5) porous fill and paving type for the center field (decomposed granite vs. pebble/gravel), and (6) brick selection for the main paving field.

Key staff and consultant responses and commission direction: - Arborist findings and tree management: The project’s arborist identified two trees recommended for removal due to poor health and several others at risk from construction. The commission directed that the two ficus trees on the Glen Eyrie end be removed while the ficus trees at the Pacific Coast Highway end be pruned and limbed to improve visibility into storefronts. Commissioners also required tree-protection measures, hand excavation at trunks during construction, and a plan to replace any trees that fail with in-kind specimens as a condition of approval. - Feature tree and tree-grate dimensions: The commission supported insertion of a large specimen (Southern Live Oak / Quercus virginiana or similar tolerant species) at the central corner, requested as large a specimen as practicable, and agreed to adopt 5-foot-square tree grates paired with a 15-foot-wide walkway between building faces and the trench drain (the project’s preferred, pedestrian-side clear width). Staff and SWA will refine grate and bridge-plate detailing to maximize rooting volume and aeration. - Paving materials and mock-ups: Commissioners rejected loose gravel options and favored a compacted, lighter-color decomposed-granite surface for porous paving and selected a brick blend closely matching existing town paving (consultant option 3) with a smeared mortar joint aesthetic to echo Laguna’s existing brickwork. Commissioners asked for a larger on-site mock-up for final selection and directed staff to refine grout color and joint width before final specification. - Public amenities and art pedestal: The commission supported a fountain/feature pedestal with a runnel (running water) element and recommended the detailed design be developed as a collaboration between SWA, the city and the arts community; commissioners left open whether the artwork would be a permanent installation or a rotating artwork program and suggested council weigh that choice. - CEQA and statutory exemption: City counsel and staff explained the city relied on a statutory CEQA exemption recently enacted for certain sustainable-transportation projects (Public Resources Code §21080.25(b)(1)). City counsel said statutory exemptions differ from categorical exemptions and the usual exceptions to categorical exemptions do not apply; an approved hydrology/floodplain plan will be required as a condition of permit and prior to construction.

The project prompted substantial public comment for and against the permanent promenade. Speakers expressed broad support for downtown revitalization and local business activation, while others raised concerns about parking loss, flood risk, public process and impacts on downtown businesses during construction.

After deliberations commissioners confirmed conditions addressing tree protection, hydrology/floodplain compliance, public safety (bollards and emergency access), event permitting and phased construction to limit business impacts. The commission voted unanimously to adopt the resolution approving design review 25-0319 and coastal development permit 25-0318 and finding the action statutorily exempt from CEQA (Pub. Res. Code §21080.25(b)(1)).

Votes at a glance: Design Review 25-0319 and Coastal Development Permit 25-0318 were approved unanimously (Goldman, Whiting, Dubin, Kellenberg, Sadler). The commission recorded explicit direction on tree retention/removal, 5-foot tree grates, a 15-foot walkway clear width, decomposed-granite porous infill, and brick option 3 with refined mortar joints and a final on-site mock-up.