Between September 7 and September 25, Laguna Beach saw three closings and two openings. The Deck on Laguna Beach, Driftwood Kitchen and the South Coast Highway location of La Sirena Grill closed. The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center opened on Broadway, and the city cut the ribbon on a permanent Promenade on Forest. Both openings sit within a short walk of Main Beach. The closings are spread down the coast. As October begins, the center of Laguna's public life has pulled toward one compact, walkable piece of downtown, and the city's off-season trolley and event schedule both run through it.
The Promenade began in 2020 as a pandemic pilot to give downtown businesses outdoor room. Later, city officials pushed to close lower Forest Avenue to cars for good, from Glenneyre Street to Coast Highway. The cost tells you how big the jump from temporary to permanent was. The original pilot plaza cost about $250,000, and $10,000 of that went to security. For the permanent version, the City Council awarded Superb Engineering a $5.5 million construction contract in January 2026. It also set aside up to $1.1 million for project expenses and change orders and approved a $340,950 construction-management contract. Pre-construction estimates put the total at as much as $7.3 million. City Manager Dave Kiff told the Orange County Register the finished project came in at $7.2 million, under budget.
Most of that money went into things the pilot never had. Crews took out the roadway, curbs, sidewalks and parking spaces and put in a brick plaza with a fountain modeled on a kelp forest, plus new seating and greenery. The approved design adds wider walkways in front of the storefronts and public tables for "outdoor dining and gathering for the general public." Construction started February 17. The businesses stayed open the whole time, though the fencing left narrow paths for anyone trying to reach them. At the September 22 council meeting, Kiff said the brick was down on the northern part. Work was still being finished at the Coast Highway end, and power for the fountain, sound system and Wi-Fi was due that week.
Mayor Mark Orgill explained why the city wanted a plaza and not just a wider sidewalk:
"You go to the [Laguna] Playhouse, you're in seating. You go to the Cultural Arts Center, you're primarily seated. It's a different experience. [At] the promenade, you can listen to music and you can socialize at the same time. You could be at one of the restaurants."
The September 25 opening also honored two longtime businesses on the plaza. Bushard's Pharmacy marked 80 years and Moulin, the Parisian-style café, marked 10. Joseph Bushard opened the pharmacy in 1946, and it still operates in the building he built on Forest Avenue, in its original footprint with no remodel. His granddaughter, Marisa Fader, runs it now. Alessa Italian restaurant also fronts the plaza. Faherty opened on Forest Avenue in April.
The second opening is also downtown, and it shows the same move toward public use. On September 19, the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center opened its new home at 239 Broadway, about 200 yards from Main Beach. It moved there from a temporary building in San Clemente. The collection holds more than 800 surfboards. Five of them are connected to Duke Kahanamoku, who made or rode eight known boards in his life.
Councilmember Sue Kempf said the building's size had worked against it:
"This is an ideal situation for this space because it's so big that it wasn't attractive to a lot of different types of businesses as is."
A large former commercial space on Broadway now holds a museum, a research library and walls covering surfing's effect on music, fashion and food. Kempf said the renovation kept the high ceiling and added whitewashed walls and new flooring. In her words, "It's going to be a hangout place for a lot of people."
Founder Dick Metz is 96 and has a personal tie to the block. His mother taught school in Laguna. His father owned a bar and restaurant where the lawn now sits in front of the lifeguard tower. "I literally grew up right across the street from here," he said. He had hoped to land a permanent site in Dana Point, but in his words, "This building was so perfect, and where it's located." SHACC is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The city switched to its non-summer schedules on September 8, and they run until June 25, 2027. The changes that matter for a trip downtown:
The parking spaces that used to line lower Forest Avenue were removed to build the plaza.
For a decade or more, a Laguna evening could just as easily start at the south end of town. The Deck on Laguna Beach and Driftwood Kitchen closed on September 7 after more than 10 years. Chef Rainer Schwarz and John Nye opened them, and Driftwood Kitchen followed The Deck in 2014. Management made clear the closures were not about money. Both restaurants are closing so the whole Pacific Edge Hotel property can be redeveloped. The team noted they had served nearly one million oysters, including 10 years of Sip & Shuck events that raised money for local nonprofits. Schwarz died in a vehicle collision in April 2026.
The redevelopment covers the nine Pacific Edge buildings at 610 to 668 Sleepy Hollow Lane, which investment group Dune Drifter LLC bought in 2024. The City Council approved the plan on August 10, 2021. It adds 25 hotel rooms, a new hotel building with an underground garage, and work on Sleepy Hollow Lane. It gives the two oceanfront restaurant spaces a net gain of 14 seats and adds a new 63-seat café with outdoor dining. The coverage gives no timeline for construction or reopening.
Farther south, La Sirena Grill's location at 30862 South Coast Highway closed September 20. The Cortellessa family could not renew the lease, and they thanked partner Mark Christy. The original La Sirena at 347 Mermaid St. downtown is still open.
The city's summer Stage on Forest series ran Friday through Sunday from July 10 to August 30, and no fall series has been posted. Most fall events still happen close to downtown:
Hospitality Night is the first big holiday test for the finished Promenade. The city's lineup for the Forest Avenue main stage starts with Anneliese School from 6:30 to 6:45 p.m., then Susannah B & the Lowkeys and Earl Thomas from 7 to 9 p.m. For more of the town's gallery and museum scene, see our guide to Laguna Beach for art lovers.
Next comes the city's Centennial, a year of events starting in January 2027, with June 29, 2027 set as the celebration date. Metz pointed to that timing at SHACC's opening and tied it to the 2028 Olympics, when surfing is expected to be held at nearby Trestles.
If you've been following the changes on Forest Avenue and Broadway and wondering how they might affect the Laguna Beach streets around your home, Meghan Vittetoe is glad to talk it through over coffee downtown. Let's Connect.
Meghan Vittetoe is a seasoned luxury real estate professional with over 14 years of experience representing clients in Orange County and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. A Southern California native, she combines deep market knowledge with an aggressive marketing strategy to consistently exceed expectations and deliver exceptional results. Known for making each transaction seamless and enjoyable, Meghan is a trusted guide for buyers and sellers navigating the region’s most coveted properties. Outside of real estate, she enjoys life as a dedicated wife and mother, and loves traveling, fitness, fine dining, and spending time with her family and beloved pets.
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