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Laguna Beach pauses trail construction plans after easement, habitat and mitigation concerns; council asks for outside coordination
Summary
Staff told council a proposed South Laguna public trail is feasible to build but faces key obstacles — property easement limits and habitat 'take' obligations — leading staff to recommend pausing work; council asked council members and community groups to pursue outside coordination and grants before returning the project to staff.
Laguna Beach staff reported that a proposed public trail connection in South Laguna is technically feasible to construct but that legal and environmental obstacles make near‑term construction impractical without further outside coordination.
City engineers told the council their consultant confirmed construction techniques (steps, woodwork and backfill) would work at the site, but two major hurdles remain: (1) property‑rights and easement limits — the access easement is for utility access and does not permit public trail use or assignment — and (2) environmental constraints in high‑value habitat that trigger mitigation and regulatory review under the county’s Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) and other habitat protection rules.
Staff said the entitlement and right‑of‑way work would likely be multi‑year and require an environmental document and mitigation for any “take” of habitat. For that reason staff recommended not proceeding with active design and construction work at this time and instead to allow time for the city to seek outside partners, county cooperation and grant funding.
Public comment and several residents urged the council not to “drop” the project and emphasized safety concerns: people are using an informal beaten path today, presenters said, and without a safe trail people will continue to use unsafe informal routes. The South Laguna Civic Association urged the council to keep the door open for continued work but to pursue creative solutions and public workshops with stakeholders. The project consultant also said she remains available to help guide next steps.
Council members and staff discussed options to keep momentum without overloading city staff. Several council members said the city should not fund extensive staff time on entitlement work alone and recommended that council members and volunteer groups pursue grants, county partners and Coastal Conservancy funding. Mayor Pro Tem Orgill and Council member Jones volunteered to have informal discussions with county staff and interested outside groups and to report back if they find funding or partnership pathways.
The council accepted the staff recommendation with an adjustment to direct two council members (Mayor Pro Tem Orgill and Council member Jones) to pursue discussions with OC Parks, Coastal Conservancy and other stakeholders outside of regular staff workload; staff will pause active entitlement work pending the results of those outreach efforts.
Council’s action leaves the project on a path to be reactivated if outside partners or grants materialize; staff emphasized that if the city later pursues construction it would likely need a detailed environmental review and habitat mitigation.
