Chicken Out, Surfboards In: Costa Azul to Take Over the Old KFC Spot

A new tenant has finally been found for the old Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet on Coast Hwy. that closed in August 2011, and its the next-door neighbor.

Which would be Costa Azul, the surfwear and surfboard shop that's been a longtime Laguna Beach fixture. The store will expand into the KFC space.

"We leased the building, and now we're just getting everything ready," owner Rod Greenup tells Patch. "We’re kind of on top of ourselves here where we're at now."

Greenup says he hopes to open the newly expanded Costa Azul by summer.

"It's been over 20 years here. There are still permits we have to get in order, but I think everything will get put together."

Surfboards and Costa Azul banners have already been placed in the windows, announcing the transition to passersby.

The site was supposed to have been turned into a hamburger restaurant called .