But Complicated Negotiations Remain : San Clemente Park at Seaside Approved

The idea of creating a seven-acre public park, part of it atop a picturesquely eroded bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the rest at sea level at the end of Avenida Calafia, has been approved unanimously by the San Clemente City Council.

But there are more steps to be taken by a number of other agencies before the location, much of which is in unsightly and even unsafe condition, can be transformed into a $1-million beauty spot.

The entire undertaking is complicated by the fact that the property is under multiple ownership. San Clemente owns the street, Avenida Calafia, that leads to the beach; the California Parks and Recreation Department owns the beach and the bluff, and the Santa Fe Railroad owns a 100-foot-wide right of way, including tracks used by passenger and freight trains, between the beach and the street.

Three-Way Agreement

On top of all that, the tentative plans call for the park to be improved and operated by Orange County under a complex three-way lease agreement.

The council approved the concept Wednesday night. City Manager James B. Hendrickson said that “no real specifics were discussed,” but it was recognized that “the key issue will be access” to the beach across the railroad tracks.

“The railroad is currently reviewing the plan,” said Kathie Seid, a planner in the county’s Environmental Management Agency. “There are three possibilities: an underpass which would cost $750,000, an overpass costing $250,000 or a (ground-level) crossing for about $50,000.”

She said the county and the San Clemente Parks and Recreation Commission favor the ground-level crossing because of the low cost and because it would be more convenient for beach-goers.

Railroad’s Position

However, Mike Martin, a spokesman for the railroad, said Thursday that, although no official decision has been reached: “I can say we’ll lean heavily in favor of the under- or over-crossing for safety reasons, even though the cost is much higher.”

He said Amtrak operates 14 trains daily along the route between Los Angeles and San Diego, and that “all beach areas on that route have huge transient populations” crossing the right of way. The result, he said, “are numerous accidents, some fatal, involving pedestrians hit by trains.”

Meanwhile, Seid said the next step is consideration of the plan by the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks Commission, probably on Oct. 23. If approved by that body, it will be presented to the Board of Supervisors in November.

She said the park would cost about $1 million, mostly in county funds, for grading and landscaping the approximately 100-foot bluff, the top level of which is a vacant space abutting on Avenido Liberio between two apartment buildings. A gazebo would be situated there, and a trail would wind down to the parking zone below.

Parking Provisions

Parking would be provided for more than 200 vehicles in marked spaces. Currently, parking is on unmarked dirt, except for the street itself.

There also would be a building with showers and a snack bar.

People who now use the beach not only must cross the tracks but must negotiate rows of huge boulders that protect the rails during storm tides.

Seid said that if all goes well, the county will lease the bluff property from the state and the street and parking areas from the city on a long-term basis. The city will be expected to maintain and police the site.