San Clemente : Decision on Tract Map for Condos Postponed

Worried that building a 250-unit condominium complex on an 11.6-acre site could lead to the creation of a “ghetto” in the sprawling Rancho San Clemente development, the City Council voted Wednesday to postpone a final decision on a tentative tract map until its next meeting, on May 15.

The proposed project, to be built off Avenida Pico, would have about 22 condominium units per acre in an area where the city’s general plan permits a density of seven to 15 units per acre. In order to satisfy the density requirements, the Planning Commission recommended limiting construction on an adjoining 11-acre parcel to 90 single-family dwellings, bringing the total density of the 22.6-acre tract to 15 units per acre.

Although there was little public comment during the hearing portion of the meeting, considerable discussion ensued among council members, who questioned whether the proposed high-density condominium development would become a slum.

Councilman G. Scott Diehl, who made the motion to continue the vote, said later that although he is not opposed to construction of the condominiums and that he does not believe the project’s density would violate the city’s general plan, the continuation was needed to give the council more time to consider the development. “If we can do this without it becoming a ghetto, then it’s a viable plan,” he said.

Diehl said that if San Clemente is to maintain open areas in the Rancho San Clemente development, high-density construction will be necessary. “If we want open space . . . you’re going to have cluster development, which means higher densities in some areas and open spaces in others,” he said.