Effort Underway to Save Laguna Beach Treatment Plant

A group of Laguna Beach residents have brought to our attention that the city’s New Deal era, sewage digester building at the Laguna Beach Treatment Plant could be demolished. The Laguna Beach City Council has announced that it will not allocate funds to rehabilitate the deteriorating 1930s structure, and that demolition is the probable outcome. Located at the entrance to town, the Spanish Revival building has become an unlikely landmark and part of the city’s identity. The structure is listed on Laguna’s historic register because of its architectural significance. Many residents are supporting its renovation and adaptive reuse and are urging City Council members to convert the building into a facility that can be rented to a small business. However, council members voted in favor of demolition due to insufficient funding. The city plans to use the lot for parking. Many New Deal structures across the United States are threatened with demolition, either due to lack of public funding for upkeep or due to intensified pressure for development.

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