Laguna Beach : Construction of Stairway to Coves Is Put on Hold

Construction of a stairway to allow public access to two small coves in South Laguna has been halted temporarily by a lawsuit from neighbors.

The plaintiffs--David J. and Sarah M. Schnabel and Christine and Jeffrey Rhoades--allege that a pedestrian easement from Table Rock Drive to the coves is not valid. The county alleges the easement was granted in 1926 and is still in force.

Orange County Superior Court Judge William F. McDonald signed a temporary restraining order Monday in Santa Ana and set a hearing on the matter for Aug. 24.

The order halts construction, which began in April. According to Grace Secketa, a planner for the county’s Environmental Management Agency, concrete steps have been poured from the street to the edge of the bluff but a stair tower remains to be built from the bluff to the beach. She said the project was delayed earlier when the stairs had to be redesigned.

Secketa said that for decades the public used a vacant lot as access to the bluff but that construction of a house on the lot blocked access. A private stairway to the beach was also built, she said.