24 lagunabeachindy . com SEPTEMBER 30 , 2022
GUEST OPINION
The Forest Promenade Planning Fiasco
BY BILLY FRIED
Well , there goes three wasted hours I ’ ll never get back . I ’ m referring to the turkey circus last week , known as the Forest Promenade public planning session , the one where public input was being solicited for the final , permanent design
When I walked in , I was immediately struck by how many of the opposition to the promenade were in attendance . You know , the Village Laguna , Laguna Residents First people who gingerly sidestep this one because they realize how much public opinion is against
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them . Yet they are still hellbent on destroying it in every tactical way possible . In this case , it was delay , delay , delay until that mighty tsunami of atrophy , Measure Q , passes . At which time , because of the loss of parking , it could be put to a public vote . Which would be no sooner than late 2023 , another full year obstructing something City Council passed and the public overwhelmingly wants .
In the other anemic corner was the city , in this case , not the Mayor , Mayor Pro Tem , or City Manager - the actual architects of the promenade . Instead , they sent a single city staffer and a representative of the outside design firm , RRM Design Group ( but not one of their 19 principals ). Also known as a buffet of roadkill that was feasted on by both sides .
The room was decorated encouragingly . Lots of interactive images taped to the walls . A giant site map of the current Promenade , laid horizontally at eye level . I naively believed we were there for a design charrette , where we would gather around the map and move prop pieces around , like dining areas , planters , stages , food carts , and art installations , to see how it might flow . I thought RRM would show us examples of other promenades around the world , including some of their own work , with
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data of what worked and what didn ’ t .
But no . We were treated like special needs children . They wanted our Pavlovian responses to design elements such as pavers , planters , lighting , and overall design aesthetics , by affixing little colored dots on the areas of our preference . Oh how I love those little colored dots . An exercise that would yield exactly nothing useful for the design firm , except to say the public was vetted .
Well , we are not circus animals , not here in Laguna . We had esteemed architects , landscapers , and urban planners in attendance , professionals who have thought about Forest Promenade for years . When Bill Hoffman , with a Master ’ s degree in Urban Planning and a PHD in Social Ecology , suggested to the moderators a format of questions and answers regarding overriding goals ( for residents , visitors , and merchants ), aesthetic considerations , circulation , information and entertainment , flex spaces , he was ignored and we were told to just “ stick to the script .”
And then the obstructionists did everything in their power to derail the whole concept of a pedestrian space in the first place . Councilwoman and longtime promenade opponent Toni Iseman took the lead by questioning whether anyone knew it was a flood zone , and whether it was advisable to have a pedestrian space there - a new strategy that deviated from her normal objection that merchants would fail if customers couldn ’ t park right in front . Wait , that ’ s a flood zone ? Who knew ? And when the consultant overcame that objection by assuring her there would be engineering to address it , the usual “ Merchants of No ” hijacked the meeting and trotted out every other irrational reason why Forest worked better as a parking lot .
Sitting in the front row , with his temperature rising to a slow boil , was the only other Council person in attendance , Bad Boy Peter Blake . If it had been either of the two other council people who voted yes for a permanent promenade ( Sue Kempf or Bob Whalen ), I ’ m sure they would have stood up and calmly reminded us that we weren ’ t there to re-litigate something that had already passed , but to instead move the project forward . But we had Genghis Khan in the room , who started screaming into the air that the “ activists ” were at it again , and instead of displaying a semblance of leadership , stomped out of the room , towing his dutiful wife Stephanie behind . What a statesman .
But seriously , do we need consultants at all ? They slow things down with a pedantic approach designed to justify their fees . We need a citizen design committee that brings forth a proposal to City Council , which , when approved , goes to engineering . It ’ s not rocket science , folks . We need to level the street with cute pavers , move the outdoor dining more to the center so that pedestrians can walk along the storefronts ( to help the merchants ), add lots of public seating and vignettes , amenities like coffee and street food carts , public art , a Laguna way finder kiosk , a stage , and plenty of planters . Make it all movable so we can occasionally lower the bollards and have special events , like a Wednesday evening farmers market that spills onto lower Park Ave . as well .
Let ’ s get rolling . This will be Laguna ’ s biggest achievement since the Montage and Treasure Island Beach Park , a real town center free from cars , pollution and noise . It will benefit the whole community for generations to come . And it will be beautiful . We just need leadership to get it over the finish line .
Billy hosts Laguna Talks on Thursday nights on KXFM radio . He ’ s also the CEO of La Vida Laguna , an E-bike and ocean sports tour company . Email : billy @ lavidalaguna . com .
Street Beat
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of a violation of court order
Felony bench warrant . Eduardo Orozco , 21 , of Pomona was also arrested on suspicion of felony of a warrant outside of jurisdiction . He was held at $ 140,000 bail .
DUI . A 59-year-old Riverside man was also arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI . He was held at $ 2,500 bail .
SEPT 25 Bench warrant . Maria Eugenia Bernal , 44 , of Orange . Warrant Misd Bench Misd - Bench Warrant Bail 25000
Resisting an officer . Matthew James Rogers , 38 , of Anaheim was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor resisting or obstruction an officer . Resist Or Obstruct Peace Officer . He was held at $ 500 bail .
DUI . A 27-year-old Irvine woman was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI . She was held at $ 2,500 bail .
Domestic violence . Jocelyn Alexandra Fransz , 31 , of Lake Forest was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence with minor injury . She was held at $ 50,000 bail .
Possession of a controlled substance . Gina Kay Horeczko , 45 , of Lake Elsinore was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor of a possession of a controlled substance . She was held at $ 500 bail
SEPT 26
Battery with serious bodily injury . Jadavion Dequan Danzy , 26 , of Chattanooga , Tenn . was arrested on suspicion of felony battery with serious bodily injury . He was held $ 25,000 bail .
SEPT 27
Grand theft , obstructing an officer . Abdallah Naddaf , 27 , of Corona was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor obstruction of a police officer and felony grand theft of a bike . He was held at $ 20,000 bail .