Mayor's Podcast - City of Laguna Beach
Mayor Mark Orgill brings listeners inside the decisions shaping the community, breaking down timely issues with clarity, context, and candor. Each episode delivers a concise, informed conversation on the policies, projects, and priorities that affect residents today and in the months ahead.
Mayor's Podcast - City of Laguna Beach
Episode 5 - Update on Promenade Construction
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In Episode 5, Mayor Mark Orgill sits down with City Engineer Tom Perez to provide an update on the Promenade construction project.
The discussion covers current construction progress, how the project is being phased to minimize disruption, and what residents and businesses can expect as work continues. Mayor Orgill and Mr. Perez also outline key milestones and provide an updated timeline for completion, offering clarity on when the community can anticipate full delivery of the project.
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Welcome to the Laguna Beach Podcast. I'm here with Tom Perez today, and we're going to be talking about the promenade and some of the details around the project. So to start off, Tom, let's talk about you know why we're doing the promenade. And I'll just, you know, give you my two cents on it. I know that we started with the interim uh promenade during COVID, and there was some success. The residents enjoyed it, and it was decided by uh council to re to start some uh concept plans and evaluate the concept plans. And I can't remember how many public meetings we have we had on the whole thing, but we had many public meetings, uh planning commission meetings, council meetings, uh meetings with the designers, and we finally got a project approved and it went to Coastal Commission, right? Correct. It got approved at the Coastal Commission. So the project was fully vetted, fully entitled. You guys now um have started construction, and I'll get with you on some of the details on that, but let me just kind of remind folks, you know, the reason why we're doing it. So, you know, it it it is closing down the street to pedestrians only, eliminating the traffic. I attended uh flow uh uh speaking event at the high school last week, and one of the students, their specific project was having to do with the promenade and how you know the future of um you know cities in general is to try to you know pull away from uh and separating pedestrian traffic with the vehicle traffic and making more pedestrian-friendly um areas. And you know, this topic of the promenade, I'll remind folks, has been a topic in this community. I've been in town for over 40 years, and it's been a uh a topic in this town since I've been here uh debating whether or not uh the the street should be um made in turned into pedestrian only. So I think it's a great project. I'm really happy with the with the design and I'm looking forward to the construction of it. And you know, I go down there quite a bit when it was a temporary proje uh promenade, and you know, I I saw neighbors that I wouldn't normally, or residents that I would, you know, I might go years without seeing them. And it was nice. I'd see them on a weekly basis and you know, just get re-familiar with everybody, and it's a place for the community to gather and you know spend time with one another. So obviously you can tell I'm in full support of the promenade. So let's talk to Tom about some of the um specifics. Um how's the project going, Tom? You just you've been in construction for three weeks now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, just uh just about three weeks. And so far, the contractor has removed all the existing roadway improvements and uh the sidewalk, and they just uh recently began to dig trenches for the new uh storm drain infrastructure, and they'll continue to move forward with the uh underground work, including uh things like the lighting conduit for the electrical system and so on and so forth. And so with that, they'll they'll be completing this project in multiple phases. Uh this first phase being all the interior, and then the second phase we would remove we would move to the uh exterior, meaning the areas uh right directly in front of the shops. And then following that, we would do the interface at Glen Erie and then at Coast Highway.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. So there's a lot of conversation regarding the trees, and um we're actually going to end up with more trees than were there to start with. Is that correct? Do you remember how many?
SPEAKER_00That that is correct. I don't know the exact answer um off the top of my head, but we are uh working very hard right now on uh taking all the steps possible to preserve the existing trees that uh weren't originally identified for removal uh when we had the arborists look at that. Um so that is something that we're really taking our time. The contractor has set up uh tree protection zones and uh is very uh much very much aware of what is allowed and not allowed around trees.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I was impressed when when you invited me down for the walkthrough when they were evaluating the roots and and the the condition of the sidewalks, uh I was impressed on on what care was being taken to uh to make sure that the trees were um you know not affected by the control or minimize the the impact on the trees. Um but you know when we when you invited me down and we were walking and and looking at the the root structures of the trees and and trying to understand you know uh what impact that they would have on the new the new paving system and the new any of the new systems that are going in, whether it be uh drainage or whatever, you could really, you know, you have a portion of the curb and the sidewalk currently removed. And when you're sitting there studying the the situation and you're looking at it up close, you could see just what condition those sidewalks were in and actually how warped they were, and and I didn't realize how many places they were actually pitched the wrong direction, and you know, allowing uh storm water to flow into the stores instead of away from the stores. And so it it was apparent to me that no matter what we did down there, the sidewalks and curbs were due for replacement. It just seemed like it was completely obvious.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that that's a fair assessment. And one of the things you you would notice uh before when you would walk that street is all the areas where we had previously uh gone through and done routine maintenance, which is uh grinding the sidewalk. And so um there there comes a limit. So if you have four inch thick sidewalk, you you can probably get away with grinding two inches before it's the complete remove and repair, and that that's really where we were getting on a lot of the areas.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I noticed some spots that I don't know if they were repours, but it was getting pretty thin. It was some of those areas looked like they were just a sh a tad over an inch thick, which is not you know nearly enough. Uh so where do you do you expect any delays? Where do you think that we're at with with the overall project? Looking, you know, you've you've been into it for three weeks now, you've kind of have a general feel on how things are uh you know going and your confidence in the contractor and the uh the uh construction manager?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so there's um things that come up in in every construction project. So we we account for that. That's one of the reasons we we have the contingency uh to help us to uh save time. So when when an issue presents itself, we're able to make decisions, uh chart our path forward. So as an example, uh as I mentioned, we're we're working very slow around the tree tree roots. Uh I wouldn't categorize that as a delay. We anticipated that, we knew that would happen. Uh but for a lay person looking into the project site, it may appear that we're moving slow, but that's the reason up front. We're really focused on preserving, and once we get past that, I think progress will really start to show a little faster. Um, another area we uh just recently, as we were digging, uh we we have portions of our storm drain trench that are nearing the water table. Um, so we were able to act real quick with our geologist to get a recommendation for the trench, and so we're moving forward with that. So um, to the question, I'm very confident in our uh construction manager, uh, next gen, uh being led by Sarah Baker. She's uh actually a Laguna resident and office here on Broadway, and she's uh very much in tune on the project, uh, staying on top of the contractor, uh also in uh confidence with the contractor, they they appear to uh have an understanding of the work that needs to be done and working through the staging. And again, I'll I'll say on on a project of this nature, there there's um naturally some some time to get in and figure things out. So being now in the the third week, we're expecting we should really uh just see things start to move. So clearing the site, getting rid of all the construction debris, uh getting us a clean area to work. So I I see that uh construction should be picking up and and moving at a faster pace.
SPEAKER_01So then let's give the the community some milestones that you that we could think of uh just so they can kind of, you know, as they monitor the project, um so you have the well I'll let you explain it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so as as I mentioned, we're we're looking at uh constructing this in multiple phases. So I I think the first milestone uh that that would be visible to to residents would be when the interior is complete. Um so when I say complete, our expectation to move from phase one to phase two would have all of the hardscape complete. Um you know we would not have that area planted, so we would not be installing the uh the shrubs we would likely have the trees in. Uh but the goal is all of the landscaping would be done at once, so we'll have a full complete irrigation system. So that that first milestone uh we we expect to see uh in April would be moving from the interior to the exterior phase. So at that point, we may need to uh perform that's when we would expect to see some additional night work so that we could do some demo in front of the storefronts and uh making all the efforts to keep the businesses open during construction. So we would come in at night, do removals, um, build the area up in front of their doorways so that they can uh have access, and then the walkway through the promenade would be the center portion. So again, we would have all of the hardscape complete, and then landscape areas would would still be uh kind of uh fenced off or blocked off with uh caution tape. Following that, that's when we would then move, like I I mentioned uh the next phase being Glenary, and that's likely to be into May when we would see Glenary and Coast Highway getting done. Right.
SPEAKER_01Both of those at the same time?
SPEAKER_00Um, you know, we're we're gonna work through that with the contractor. Uh we we are trying really hard not to allow them to open areas if they can't actively work, so it'll be a matter of staging that if both areas can be uh put back together at the same time, we would allow that, but we're trying to keep areas open as much as possible. So I would expect in all likelihood we would see those done one after the other and uh keep it going that way.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. So and there will there is currently a website that's dedicated toward the correct.
SPEAKER_00Unfortunately, I do not have uh a short version of that, but uh it it is on the uh public works website under our capital improvement project.
SPEAKER_01I'll make sure when they edit this um that they have that at the end of this podcast. So if you look at the end of the podcast, we'll make sure that we have the uh act the website domain uh posted. So um some of the things that we had talked about earlier, the number of trees. I believe if I remember correctly, the the plan is is on the website.
SPEAKER_00Correct. So on the web page uh you're you're gonna find uh a wealth of information. So you'll you'll find information um dating back maybe to about 2020 when this first was being looked at. You'll you'll see some of the uh previously approved concept plans, uh a my uh uh timetable of all of the actions that have been taken. Um there was a lot of talk about the floodplain permit, that's available on the web page, and then uh we're gonna begin putting up uh some of these milestones so that we can check those and provide a construction progress so that people have a place to go look. And and that's one other thing. There was a uh originally we prepared when construction started, we prepared a QA that talks a lot about what you would expect. So especially for businesses on the promenade, it really details what to expect for uh visitors and residents. Uh that gives a good idea. But I I think the the one key thing I I would like to say is you know, all businesses are open this entire time. And so we're making all our efforts to uh you know maintain that access, trying to, you know, keep it quiet during lunch time hours, whatever we can do to not have a negative impact.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and you have a liaison, don't you, that is available to work with the tenants on the street?
SPEAKER_00Yes, so so again, uh Sarah Baker with NextGen, she and her staff um are available to the to the residents, to the businesses. Um they're out there on the promenade quite often talking to businesses. Um if there's any concerns that uh should be expressed, that that would be a best place to start. And then she can work with myself, the contractor, the inspector, and we can we can make changes uh ever so slight. Um sometimes the smallest changes have the biggest effects. So we're we're definitely willing to see what we can do, keep that in mind, and but we do need to keep a focus on the schedule.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thank you. And so I know one of the um issues that was uh taken care of for the uh tenants on the street was the uh arrangement of parking uh in the Surf Museum parking lot. Correct. And so there is uh uh free uh validated parking for their customers over there, and there was a a parking attendant, so it's managed and and uh oh there's somebody to oversee the the parking.
SPEAKER_00Correct. So the the businesses have uh been provided with flyers that they can pass out to customers uh that has a QR code, so this way when you go back to the lot you can present that to the attendant and uh he would then validate your parking.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, great. Well it sounds like you've thought about just about everything that you could do for the tenants, and um I think there's more more coming as well. Um, you know, as you mentioned, Sarah is in constant dialogue with the tenants and trying to accommodate them. And I I heard uh of a couple conversations this morning that um Joanna from Visit Laguna and the chamber might be putting together a little bit more outreach to the community to put together some, you know, uh you know, some special um advertisements and things of that nature for the for the tenants. So I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we we've had uh some of the businesses ask if they're running uh special promotions during this construction period, um, if if that could uh be advertised with Visid Laguna. So that that's certainly something that Joanna said they were open to doing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I saw I think that that's what they were working on um this morning, actually. And and I think that they're going to do a couple of other things and that again will be posted on the website. So as they develop some of these um future plans, I I believe that will be on the website. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_00Correct. Or if it's not on our web page, our website would have uh a link that directs them to visit Laguna. So we'll make sure that it's as easy as possible to to follow that.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So some of the questions were uh asked of me, you know, what's the future of the promenade? And I know that you're probably not that uh in, you know, uh and I don't think that the city's made any grand plans as far as you know the future uh use of the promenade. I think we all know from kind of a high level some of the opportunities, and you know, we've already done it with the temporary promenade, you know, some of the entertainment opportunities. The Laguna Film Festival has used it a couple of times. Uh they have music programmed. I I see with the system that you guys are putting in, the cabalized uh overhead system, I could see the museum, you know, using it for you know art and nature projects or whatever they can come up with. So I think that there's a lot of programming uh that can take place that would really, you know, just even make it that much more dynamic to to draw the residents and in and around the the area. So that was one of the questions I had. Um how is the uh space going to be used or maintained after construction? So can you speak about that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so um real quick back to your your previous statements. Um so I I would say the this design accounts for a great deal of flexibility into the future. So we're we're installing uh you know audiovisual, we're having uh a brand new electrical system that would allow for multiple performance areas. There's gonna be plans for one uh large performance area towards Coast Highway, and then a lot of uh other areas where uh somebody can plug in and play. So I would say it has ultimate flexibility, um, and that's all built into the design. As far as how it's maintained going forward, uh I would anticipate uh very similar type program is what what we've had uh the last couple years, where the the city would uh maintain like a day porter service to service uh trash, keep the area clean, um similar to what we had for the last five years. Uh we we are planning for outdoor dining at specified areas and then open seating uh throughout. So we would have again that service keeping areas clean, keeping them serviced, and then uh restaurants, if they choose to uh participate in the outdoor dining, they would be responsible for their areas. And then uh just uh again, the the area we're planning to just keep it uh maintained again through public work staff as far as um cleaning the the pavement, keeping the the planting healthy. So um all of that would be through our facility maintenance. But but as far as the operation, it would I think operate very similar. Uh the big difference being we would now have just one single flat plane. Um the the dining, we're no longer gonna have the corral, so it'll be operating very similar, but with the just a much different feel.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, a big different feel, right? Yeah. Um so I I really you know can't stress you know enough how uh appreciative of I am to the tenants. And I know it's a it's a huge deal for them, and it's you know riddled with inconveniences. And I I honestly believe that by the time this is done, it's it's going to prove to be wildly successful and it will uh have made it all worthwhile. Um and and I know Tom and his team are going to continue to you know have dialogue with the tenants on the street and other any other community members that have any uh comments regarding the project. So we are here, we're here to listen. We we want to stay on schedule and the the we're into June right now is where our schedule is currently, is that correct?
SPEAKER_00Right. So our our schedule goes into June. Um the businesses have expressed their concerns and uh you know pushing to have completion in May. And so while we understand that we're gonna be working with the contractor to do anything we can. Uh, we've talked about uh potential you know 12-hour shifts, uh weekend work where possible, um, but ultimately uh right now we're we're looking towards the end of June for full completion. Um I'm also right now working with the contractor as I as I mentioned. So if phase one finishes and that's you know wide open, it's all paved, safe to walk. Um, if we're able to open areas early, we're definitely gonna be making a push to do that. So while the project may not be complete, we'll have it you know as clean as we can, open up areas where uh it's very usable, businesses become visible again. So we're gonna really try and uh look at that as we get closer and see where we feel confident that it's safe to open an area early.
SPEAKER_01Well, and you just took my last question from me. That it was going to be, you know, when can some of the defensing come down and it would there be an opportunity to start to uh incrementally have use of some of the spaces, even though that it's still under construction. So you answered that. I appreciate it. And uh, I know you guys are you know working as hard as you can on this, and I appreciate that. And from what I've seen, you know, you got a great team down there, everybody's communicating well, everybody seems to have a lot of enthusiasm, and they realize how important it is for the community. The contractor is very aware of it and very enthusiastic. And I think that you know it's you know the sentiment has been shared amongst all involved, uh the the design team, the various subcontractors. So I think you guys have done a good job uh maintaining you know a positive culture down there. So I appreciate that. And we will have the website domain posted at this uh at the end of this. And I thank you guys all for tuning in. Look forward to next time.