City may move to purchase day labor site

The Caltrans-owned parcel of land where the Laguna Beach Day Workers Center sits is back on the market and with a considerably lower price tag than the $1.2 million the state agency had originally asked.

After commissioning an independent appraisal, Caltrans is now offering the 16,810 square foot property to interested public agencies for $18,000.

Caltrans District 12 spokesperson Pam Gorniak said that according to law, the land must be shopped around to other public agencies — the city of Laguna Beach included — before the land is open to private buyers.

City Manager Ken Frank said the city council will consider buying the site in closed session at the Jan. 8 meeting. While the decision of whether to buy the property is up the council, Frank says he thinks it would be a good idea.

“I will be recommending the city purchase it,” Frank said.

According to the letter Caltrans sent Laguna Beach, the land would have to be used either as low income housing, park or open space purposes, or for schools.

If Laguna Beach were too buy the land, Frank said it would be for the intention of using it as open space. The Caltrans appraisal describes the land as a “vacant lot” and suggests open space would be the lot’s “highest and best use.”

The original Caltrans appraisal designated the space as commercial, which was why the price tag was too high. Gorniak said no parties were interested at that price, especially when a Laguna appraisal listed it likely as open space.

“That changed the entire outlook of the appraisal,” Gorniak said.

Frank said he’s not sure how the purchase would affect the Day Worker Center’s operation. He said it’s highly unlikely the city would repeal the ordinance that designates the strip of dirt as the only area allowed to solicit day labor in the city.

The city currently pays $420 a month in rent to Caltrans to maintain the Day Workers Center.

The small office structure and portable toilets are non-permanent structures, so it’s possible nothing would change about the site at all.

The city has been routinely purchasing vacant lots around the city to preserve open space throughout 2007.

Laguna Beach bought four vacant lots in the Arch Beach Heights area for $75,000 this year as well as 3 lots of hillside in Laguna Canyon totaling $3,659,000. It was paid for through Coastal Conservancy state bond money.

“This is just a continuation of what we’ve been doing,” Frank said.

Gorniak said none of the agencies that received the sale notices have responded yet, but they have 60 days from Dec. 18 to respond. If more than one party is interested, they will have to compete for the land.

“They would bid against each other for it,” Gorniak said.