Laguna Beach's Promenade on Forest Got Its Ribbon Before It Got Its Power
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The lower block of Forest Avenue, between Glenneyre Street and Coast Highway, no longer has a curb. The roadway, curbs, sidewalks and parking spaces were removed and replaced with rustic tumbled brick, seating areas and artistic features. At the center is a fountain inspired by a kelp forest. Nearby are a nautilus bench, bike racks and a set of art pieces that went in during the last week before the opening.
The fountain was still among the items on the to-do list. In his Friday, Oct. 9 update, published by Stu News Laguna, City Manager Dave Kiff wrote that the city was still waiting for full power so the fountain could run and more lighting could come on, and was "still struggling getting permits off of desks at Caltrans" for the Coast Highway side. That came two weeks after the city held a ribbon-cutting and declared the Promenade on Forest a permanent part of downtown. Laguna Beach has opened this plaza to the public before each phase was finished since 2020.
The promenade started as a stopgap. In June 2020 the city closed lower Forest to cars so downtown businesses could serve customers outdoors during the pandemic. The Orange County Register put the cost of that temporary plaza at about $250,000, including $10,000 for security. The permanent version cost roughly 29 times that, and the public used the temporary plaza for about six years while the city decided whether to make it permanent.
| Milestone | What happened |
|---|---|
| June 2020 | Temporary plaza opens on lower Forest for about $250,000 |
| 2025 | Appeal to the Coastal Commission over parking, flooding and community character; the commission finds no substantial issue |
| January 2026 | City Council awards a $5.5 million construction contract to Superb Engineering |
| Spring 2026 | A tree falls into the work area; the city removes more trees |
| Early July 2026 | Perimeter fences come down before the Fourth of July and the public gets a first look |
| Sept. 25, 2026 | Ribbon-cutting and official opening |
| Oct. 9, 2026 | City Manager reports fountain power, added lighting and Caltrans permits still pending |
The two papers report the price differently. The Daily Pilot gives an estimated total of $7.3 million including construction. The Register quotes Kiff putting it at $7.2 million and under budget.
The idea is older than the pandemic. Mayor Mark Orgill told the Register that a gathering place like this appeared in Vision Laguna 2030, a plan about 2,000 residents helped shape around the turn of the millennium. A plan from around 2000 became a 2020 pilot and then a 2026 ribbon-cutting.
The city's construction page lists the physical work as complete:
The conduits are in, but the systems that run through them were the last to come on. At the Sept. 22 City Council meeting, Kiff said full electrical service, which would turn on the fountain, an audio system and Wi-Fi, was expected that Wednesday, according to the Daily Pilot. His Oct. 9 update in Stu News Laguna described the remaining work this way:
Kiff called it "not much more work to be done." On the busiest pedestrian block downtown, the remaining work mostly shows up after dark and at the two ends of the plaza: the Glenneyre crosswalk and the Coast Highway edge facing Main Beach. The Pilot reported that in late September, work was still being finished at the Coast Highway end, looking out toward Main Beach.
The trees changed faster than anything else in the project. During construction a tree fell into the work area, and the city then removed others, citing public safety and insurability. The Daily Pilot reported that the removals drew protests. The city posted the April 21 City Manager letter on the emergency removal, an April 22 tree FAQ, a revised tree plan and an April 28 agenda report on the promenade project page. Arborist, soil and pathology reports are there too.
The block now has two specimen oaks and ten 48-inch-box eucalyptus. Kiff told the Register that the new landscaping suits a "saline" environment better than the eucalyptus that came out over the summer. He also said the decomposed granite in the build should help with drainage and flooding, which the Coastal Commission appellants had raised.
The businesses on the block stayed open during construction, while fencing around the work crews left narrow walkways for residents and visitors. The opening on Sept. 25 was shared with two of them. Bushard's Pharmacy celebrated 80 years and Moulin, a Parisian-style cafe, celebrated 10, and the night included free crepes and live music.
Bushard's has the longest history on the block. Joseph Bushard, a young pharmacist just out of USC, opened it in 1946 in a building he built on Forest Avenue. The Register reports it still runs in its original footprint and has never been remodeled. The pharmacy is about seven decades older than the plaza in front of it.
The Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce lists these businesses on the block:
Look closely at the art. At the opening, the Daily Pilot photographed local tile artist Marlo Bartels with one of his pieces on the plaza.
The city has already programmed the space once. Music on the Promenade ran from July 10 through Aug. 30, 2026, with live music from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That series ran while the plaza was still under construction and before the ribbon-cutting. Orgill told the Register that groups have started meeting there, naming reading circles and high school students who talked about using it as a meeting space. He said it is "becoming a place where people see others they might not run into in a year." He told the Daily Pilot that the Laguna Playhouse and the Cultural Arts Center mostly offer seated experiences, while the promenade lets "you can listen to music and you can socialize at the same time."
The next downtown project starts at the promenade. The city's Ocean Avenue and Beach Street improvements cover Ocean Avenue from Forest Avenue to South Coast Highway, and Beach Street from Broadway to Ocean. The plans include curb bump-outs for traffic calming and pedestrian safety, a wider sidewalk on Beach Street, sidewalk replacement and minor drainage work.
It has the same slow history as Forest. The city's project page traces it to a Downtown Action Plan the City Council started in 2019. That plan was never adopted, but its recommendations led to SWA Group's concept drawings for Ocean Avenue in March 2025. On Sept. 2, 2026, the Planning Commission tabled its hearing so the city could do more outreach with residents and stakeholders, and named Commissioners Sadler and Whitin to a working group. The city scheduled a town hall at City Hall Council Chambers for 5 p.m. on Oct. 20 to present the same 60% plans the commission was set to review. Those plans and an exhibit showing Ocean Avenue, Beach Street and Forest Avenue together are posted on the project page.
The rest of the published schedule, updated October 2026:
If the dates hold, Ocean Avenue will have work crews about a year after the Forest ribbon-cutting. The fountain on Forest is still waiting on its power hookup, and the corner where Forest meets Ocean is the next part of downtown the city plans to rebuild.
Tony and Shelley Salay keep an eye on how downtown Laguna changes, from the brickwork on Forest to the plans for Ocean Avenue. If you'd like to talk through what those projects mean for your own corner of town, Tony Salay Real Estate Group is glad to sit down with you. Contact us.
Stay up to date on the latest real estate trends.
Whether you're buying, selling, or just exploring your options, Tony and Shelley bring decades of experience and local expertise to every conversation.
Tony Salay Real Estate Group
32356 S Coast Hwy Laguna Beach, CA 92651 Tony and Shelley Salay | CA DRE# 1964400 - 00828762 Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty | CA DRE# 01767484