Letter: Opponents of the Village Entrance Project Create Fear of New Ideas

From the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce:

What the majority of the City Council did in voting to move forward with the Village Entrance project was take the next step in the development of the plans necessary to move forward on an improvement the city desperately needs.

As part of the process of the Council moving the idea forward, the first iteration of the design will be unveiled at the October 1, 2013 Council Meeting. If approved, this is followed with the hiring of a project manager, preparation of working drawings, evaluation of construction costs and development of a critical path.

Opponents to the project would have the public believe the Council’s vote was a vote to start construction. That assertion is simply not accurate. They simply create the fear of new idea.  A vocal group is against even considering this next step. This fear of a new idea has manifested itself before.

Hopefully, those who want to the Council to “rescind” will remember the same hue and cry against the Montage, Treasure Island Park, Main Beach Park, and even against the Suzi Q Senior Center. Yet we overcame our fears, and all of these projects were ultimately vetted through a process and became venerable elements of the city. Where would we be had we bowed to the vocal few and refused to even consider taking the first steps toward consideration of concepts that germinated and became elements of great value to our city?

It is easy to understand why people are frightened of new ideas -- change brings with it uncertainty. In this case, they should be afraid of the old ones -- no change will result in a long term disaster in Laguna Beach. A case has already been made that parking is a problem in Laguna.

Population in Orange County is growing, and the population at our very own gateway is growing. The beautification and parking area proposed for the barren corner of Broadway and Forest Avenue is an element of necessary additional infrastructure that will need to be added in the next decades. The present concept takes a blighted corner near our City Hall and across the street from some of our most iconic institutions, and turns it into something beautiful, useful, and necessary. And it will be used: It will be a safe, lighted walkway, beautifully landscaped, in a location that welcomes people into the city. It will also provide much ­needed parking.

Let the process proceed. It will not be the end of the conversation, but it is a necessary first step in addressing the problem. If the proposed design is too ugly, it won’t be built. If it is too expensive, it won’t be approved. If the revenues don’t make sense, it will be reevaluated, and if it does not make sense, it will be rejected.

But we should not take the step of just refusing to consider it without accurate facts. To run away from consideration of this critical decision because someone has printed signs and put up a website with purposely inaccurate information would be irresponsible by the citizens of Laguna Beach and our elected Council.

We know the circulation problems are simply going to become worse over time. Yet we leave ourselves without options if every time the Council makes a move to deal with this pressing need, we fall victim to the behaviors that almost cost us Main Beach Park, The Suzi Q Senior and Community Center and The Montage.

-- Joe Hanauer, Laurence Nokes, Morris Skendarian, Aaron Talarico, Matt Lawson, Tim Carlyle, Mike Kinsman, Marshall Ininns, Shaena Stabler, Kenneth Fischbeck, Kristine Thalman, Mary Ferguson, Gerry Perez, Cody Engle, Debbie MacDonald, Mark Orgill, Peter Blake, Pat Kollenda, Glenn Gray, George Nelson, Stevan Gromet, Thomas Neptune, Anders Lasater