No move for LCAD — Laguna art college declines developer’s proposal to consolidate campus across the street

The Laguna College of Art + Design will not consolidate its campus across Laguna Canyon Road from its current hub, a move suggested by development firm Laguna Beach Co.

In addition to its main campus on the west side of Laguna Canyon Road, LCAD has five other properties around the city, including student housing and studio spaces on the east side of Laguna Canyon Road that it leases from the Laguna Beach Co. That area, between the Sawdust Festival and Art-A-Fair grounds, is where the firm suggested the college move its entire campus.

LCAD President Jonathan Burke said the college met with Laguna Beach Co. and city officials several times in the past year to “assess the viability of this idea.” The college determined it would not be financially feasible, Burke said.

“It was interesting; we investigated it,” he said. “But we just can’t make it happen. Fiscally, it’s just not possible.”

He noted that the college has had a presence in the Arts District for 25 years.

The Laguna Beach Co. made public its intent to discuss the possibility of the LCAD move in July, when the company put forward initial plans for six major projects in the city.

The company already has submitted conceptual plans to the city for two major hotels and is expected to bring forward four more projects before the end of the year.

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