Laguna Beach Downtown Parking: Updates On City's Specific Plan

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — The City of Laguna Beach continues to study downtown parking. The Downtown Specific Plan Update, on Wednesday May 17, will be discussed at the Planning Commission's regularly scheduled meeting in the Council Chambers at City Hall according to Director of Community Development, Gregory Pfost. Parking downtown continues to be a major focus.

According to the City of Laguna Beach website, downtown is the focus of the City's social, cultural, civic, artistic and recreational activities.

The primary objective of the Downtown Specific Plan is to preserve and enhance the unique character of the downtown.

The Downtown Specific Plan was adopted by the City Council in 1989. The plan, itself, has been amended nine times, including one comprehensive amendment in 2000, which included:

• The expansion of the Plan boundary to the Boys & Girls Club on Laguna Canyon Road
• The creation of the Civic Art District.

Some of the Plan areas to be evaluated for potential modification include, but are not limited to:

• The expansion of the Civic Art District to the Act V and the Laguna College of Art and Design sites
• The types and locations of the various downtown districts and their intent and purpose
• And allowed uses in each district, the general provisions/development standards, issue statements and policies, design guidelines and implementation measures.

"The Planning Commission will continue to review and discuss the draft findings and recommendations of the Downtown Specific Plan Area Parking Actual Demand Study, prepared by IBI Group, and staff’s recommendations on related policy issues. This item was continued from the March 22, 2017 Planning Commission special meeting. The IBI Group draft report, staff and IBI Group presentations and staff report from the prior meeting are available to review on the project webpage," Pfost said in recent release.

Additional meetings will occur in 2017 to continue reviewing draft amendments of the Downtown Specific Plan document. This meeting and future meetings play an essential role to obtain input from the community and direction from the Planning Commission, and to identify the City’s priorities for the future of the Downtown.

For more information on the Downtown Specific Plan Update please contact: Wendy Jung, Senior Planner, at (949) 497-0321; wjung@lagunabeachcity.net; or visit: www.lagunabeachcity.net

Photo by Laguna Beach resident Melinda Brower