Value of Laguna Laurel Is Revealed : Development: The appraiser’s report will likely determine whether Laguna Beach can preserve the land by buying it.

LAGUNA BEACH —  Local environmentalists and city officials attempting to keep development out of Laguna Canyon learned Thursday evening the appraised value of the 2,150-acre canyon site owned by the Irvine Co.

But negotiators for the preservationists and the company refused to disclose that figure--estimated earlier at about $100 million--after a closed-door session with the land appraiser.

“We are dealing with this professionally,” said Councilman Robert F. Gentry as he emerged from the meeting. “We are all staying at the table together. We are going to attempt to do the best we can to resolve the issue of Laguna Canyon. That mood has not been altered by tonight’s information.”

All of the parties involved in the negotiations contributed to the cost of the appraisal, conducted by Gary Vogt, but the Irvine Co. picked up a majority of the cost.

Members of the Laguna Laurel Advisory Committee, an aggregate of all interested parties, plan to discuss the appraiser’s report with their respective boards and resume talks on a buyout agreement Monday evening. The Laguna Beach City Council plans a special closed-door session this evening to discuss its next step in the negotiations.

Before Thursday night’s meeting, some committee members expressed optimism that an agreement would be worked out for the purchase of the Laguna Laurel land, located between El Toro Road and Interstate 5.

But built into that optimism was the hope by some participants that the Irvine Co.’s asking price would be lower than the appraisal figure, that the company would contribute more than what has already been promised, and that the city would be given a long payment period.

Giving up on the land is not a viable option, Gentry said in an interview before the meeting.

“Nobody wants to walk away from the table,” he said. “We are all committed to making this work.”

But with identifiable funding sources totaling only about $45 million, Gentry conceded that any purchase price over $60 million might be difficult for the city to meet.

Michael Phillips, the executive director of two environmental groups leading the preservation effort, agreed that a lot of progress had been made in the talks, particularly since the two sides were not on speaking terms a year ago.

He, too, hoped for an affordable price from the company, he said.

The Irvine Co. has placed on the table a 10-year purchase plan, with $10 million to be contributed by the company at the end of that period.

Earlier this week, the Orange County Board of Supervisors agreed in principle to also donate $10 million. Laguna Beach voters will be asked on the Nov. 6 ballot to approve a $20-million bond issue for land acquisition, and the city is hoping to receive another $5 million in state parkland funds.