EDITORIAL: Compromise key for beach

Many were pleased the powers-that-be listened to those who thought the proposed new lifeguard headquarters and public restrooms on Main Beach were simply too big as originally planned.

The city went back to the drawing board and is now moving forward with a “compromise” project that is 21% smaller, about a foot shorter, and will have less impacts on views.

But the jury is still out on whether this project will be built.

There are a lot of drawbacks in terms of how the buildings will serve public safety.

The lifeguards will have to share office space and move their files in and out of the site, not to mention that, due to the removal of a garage, vehicles will still have to be stored at City Hall.

Now the critics are lining up on the other side of the fence and wondering why the project should be built at all.

And neighbors are still not happy they will lose some of their views.

When the stakes went up in February outlining the “envelope” of the project, it was clear the two separate structures would tower over beachgoers, obstruct the view of the path to Heisler Park and loom over the beach park. It would also have blocked beach views for the neighborhoods across the highway.

The revised proposal still gives lifeguards their coveted coastal views and a significantly larger area for offices, meetings and training classes, but not everything they wanted.

In a city with so many constituencies, “compromise” is the word of the day.

A new lifeguard quarters and new restrooms will improve the area and the safety of employees and beachgoers.

In the new plan, city planners also listened carefully to the aesthetic criticisms and eliminated the hard edges on the project that grated on community members the first time around.

The revised project has a woodsy feel and tone much more in keeping with the “village character” Lagunans love.

Instead of imposing itself on the beachfront, the revised project “” as shown in a rendering “” seems to nestle into the site at the foot of the bluffs.

It’s a more comfortable fit for Laguna’s Main Beach “” it’s “window on the sea.”

Hopefully some of the efficiency and personnel issues can be improved so the project truly fulfills its primary mission “” beach safety.