Laguna Beach’s new Promenade on Forest Avenue partially debuts in time for July 4 weekend

Chef Allessandro Pirozzi, who has been operating his highly popular Alessa on Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach for 20 years, couldn’t wait to get to work on Wednesday morning, July 1.

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He was full of anticipation because crews had labored all night installing a herringbone pattern of bricks that will be a hallmark of the beach town’s new Promenade on Forest Avenue.

“I saw it on my cameras overnight,” he said, excitedly describing the intricate patterns and the multi–colored bricks that make the promenade that is replacing the permanently closed to traffic street. “I did a walk-through with the crew this morning. I told them they did an awesome job. I feel like I’m back in Napoli or Sienna.”

The rustic-looking, tumbled bricks were specifically selected for the project to ensure the promenade lives up to Laguna Beach’s unique style, but they require precise, artful installation, said City Manager Dave Kiff, adding that the installation, along with an emergency tree replacement, slowed the project.

Earlier plans called for completion by Memorial Day, but now visitors will get access starting this weekend.

Despite the delays, Kiff said the $7.2 million project is still under budget, and he expects the final detailed work to wrap up by month’s end. Key, he said, is to get a part open to help merchants with what is expected to be a busy holiday weekend.

And crews have been working around the clock to open about 60% of the venue ahead of the Fourth of July.

They can lay 40 to 50 feet of bricks per night, so Kiff said he believes the full promenade surface and sidewalks can be completed by the end of the month.

The bricks will be powerwashed for Friday’s “taking down the fences” when Kiff said the community and visitors to town will see the venue for the first time since construction began earlier this year.

“I think people are going to be happy with it when it’s done; we’re that close to it where people will be able to see it and enjoy it,” he said.

“Laguna Beach does have a lot of complex masonry, so we had to follow our commitment to quality and aesthetic masonry patterns,” said Mayor Mark Orgill, adding that there is unique brickwork at City Hall and at some of the businesses along Forest Avenue.

The promenade’s design, he said, was not modeled after any other such venue, but created with the idea of making it “more Laguna Beach.”

A temporary promenade was opened on Forest Avenue during the pandemic to help local businesses stay open while also encouraging people to social distance. Restaurants, including Alessa, got outdoor dining permits from the city for temporary outdoor dining parklets.

With the parklets in place, city officials and others decided it made sense to divert cars from the lower section of Forest Avenue, and the promenade began to draw more locals into downtown while also giving visitors a fun place to congregate and shop. Over time, and through multiple public meetings with locals and business owners, the idea of making the promenade permanent gained ground.

To make it permanent, the road, curbs, sidewalks and parking spots have been removed.

Some locals raised concerns about the project, worried the area is already prone to traffic, parking and flooding problems and it could detract from Laguna Beach’s historic character.

But Councilmember Sue Kempf, after touring frequently over the last months during construction, said she hopes those groups and everyone who visits the promenade will understand and enjoy it for years to come.

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“We spent a lot of time on the design and what would be best for the area,” she said. “I hope that people think of it as if it’s been here a long time.”

Kiff said that other surface materials are decomposed granite, which will help with drainage and flooding concerns, and the new landscaping is best suited for a “saline” environment. He added that the new design incorporates measures to help with floodwater dispersion.

“Forest will still flood in a major flood, this project or no project,” he said. “This does not create barriers to make flood conditions worsen, but the infrastructure we put in actually improves the ability to move water in a large flooding event. This project is better than the condition before it.”

The landscaping includes 20 new, mostly eucalyptus-variety trees and some live oaks, to replace trees that had to be removed from Forest Avenue.  Six of the original trees remain, including a large eucalyptus near the popular Candy Baron and a very tall eucalyptus at the end of the promenade near Glenneyre Street.

Critical to the new trees’ health, Kiff said, is that they have been planted correctly with ample “room to root” and a suspended pavement system was used that prevents soil from compacting around the trees.

“The way the old ones were planted, some of their roots had to go between sidewalks,” Kiff said. “These have these silva cells underneath them, which are like roadways and strong enough to hold a fire truck, but they’re open so the roots can go between the silva cells. The oaks have them around them, and the eucalyptus have them around them.”

On Friday, Kiff said visitors who walk along the open part of the promenade will see other features, such as custom tables and chairs made from wood, coated metal and embossed with “Forest Avenue Laguna Beach,”  and sun umbrellas with integrated heaters for cooler weather. There will also be piped-in audio throughout the venue, along with new lighting.

A fountain with a piece of art on top that mimics the bottom of a 6- to 7-foot kelp forest sits at the center of the plaza.

“The intent of this space is to be flexible,” Kiff said. “We talked about having a community meal where you line up all the tables down the middle, and you just bring your food and sit next to anybody.”

Already, Kiff said, musicians are booked for as early as next week to perform on the promenade.

Pirozzi said he is anxious for Friday to come. While he and others have lost revenue during construction, he said it “could have been worse.”

“Our customers parked their cars further away, and Laguna people supported us,” he said. “I think the loss will be worth it. Next year and the year after that, it will be amazing. Sometimes to get something, you have to give something up.”

Among the new businesses that opened on Forest amid construction is Faherty, a surf-inspired clothing company founded by twin brothers. The store opened in April.

Two more food-service places next to Fahery are expected to come in later this summer; one will serve specialty frozen yogurt and the other will sell paninis, Kiff said.

Bradley Brown, Faherty’s regional manager, said he is excited about the first part of the promenade opening. For the last few months, he’s had to deal with loud construction noise and a lack of foot traffic.

“Having a place where we can be seen by other businesses and being by a walk-through area is exciting for us,” he said, adding that the brand’s concept of sustainability is what made Laguna Beach the correct spot for the shop.

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“When the fence comes down,” Brown said, “hopefully people will be back.”