Sounding Off: No. 1 — Creating greenbelt

Editor’s note: City Manager Ken Frank is retiring in December after 30 years with the city. In this column, he shares what he sees as the top 10 most significant accomplishments of the city administration during the past three decades.

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James Dilley envisioned the concept of a greenbelt around Laguna Beach — a buffer zone that would protect Laguna’s unique geographic amenities, mitigate traffic and other problems associated with urban sprawl, and afford outdoor recreational opportunities to our residents. Dilley passed away before he could see his vision fulfilled.

But starting in 1979, just before I showed up, the City Council had taken the first steps in creating the Laguna Greenbelt. In order to resolve litigation with the Rancho Palos Verdes Corporation, which owned 522 acres of open space between El Toro Road and Laguna Canyon Road known as Sycamore Hills, the city signed an agreement to buy the entire spread for about $7 million.

This historic pact had one flaw — the city had no money to pay for the property since Proposition 13 had significantly pared city revenue! Within several years, we had negotiated a more favorable accord with Rancho Palos Verdes and developed 50 acres of the site along El Toro Road with high density housing to raise the money to pay for the property. That housing is not visible from Laguna Canyon Road or from Laguna Lakes.

The city’s next acquisition occurred in 1986 when the city purchased the Bay View parcel for $635,000. This 120-acre plot is above Morningside Drive in Bluebird Canyon, stretching from Top of the World to Arch Beach Heights. Acquisition of that entire slope ended attempts to develop a new hillside community in Bluebird Canyon.

The city’s next significant acquisition was Laguna Heights — a 471-acre parcel at the end of Alta Laguna Boulevard. A U.S./Canadian company (Carma Sandling) had obtained approval from Orange County to raze the ridge top and build 110 homes on this unincorporated site. Laguna Beach challenged the developer and the county in court, leading to a settlement in which the city purchased the entire parcel for $4 million in 1988. A state grant paid for half of the price.

About the same time, the city utilized state park bonds to secure two other key parcels. A nine-acre parcel at the intersection of Laguna Canyon Road and El Toro Road was purchased from the Cortese family for $900,000. The 194-acre DeWitt parcel — situated on the hillside and ridge above Laguna Canyon Road — was acquired for $2 million.

A few years later, the 22 acres along Laguna Canyon Road that had previously housed a horse stables was acquired from Oscar Taylor, ending any development opportunities along Laguna Canyon Road near El Toro.

Then in November of 1989, several thousand people walked along Laguna Canyon Road to Sycamore Hills to demonstrate against the building of 3,200 homes. Thereafter, the City Council, the Irvine Co. and environmental groups reached an accord that would preclude any housing in Laguna or Laurel Canyons. The Irvine Company eventually parted with 2,000 acres of open space for roughly $45 million in city, county and state money. Laguna voters approved a $20 million general obligation bond to contribute to the settlement.

Since the historic Laguna-Laurel acquisition, the city has continued to utilize local revenues and state grants to acquire open space. In total, we have acquired 3,000 acres of open space in 40 major parcels.

These city-owned properties are part of a 20,000-acre open space preserve which includes Crystal Cove State Park, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park. From Newport Coast Drive to Aliso Creek, there is a continuous link of undeveloped open space. More than 30 years in the making, the Laguna Greenbelt is a reality.

Ken Frank is the city manager.