SAN CLEMENTE : Plans for Resort Overwhelm Some

Plans to build a six-acre resort complex around historic Casa Romantica are too overwhelming for the sleepy oceanfront community, City Council members said Tuesday.

Although the plans say the project is 20% less dense than surrounding neighborhoods, City Council members said the scope of the project goes beyond what has been discussed for the site.

“It’s a lot more intense than we are accustomed to,” Mayor Candace Haggard said.

Ratkovich Co., a Los Angeles developer, proposed paying the city $6 million in cash and other considerations for the six acres of property near the San Clemente Pier. Casa Romantica, a historic home built by city founder Ole Hanson on bluffs overlooking the ocean, would be the resort’s centerpiece.

More than 125 residents reviewed the plans for a 160-room hotel, 60 condominiums, a restaurant, shops and office space. The site would be 60% open space, with garden-style landscaping winding through the project.

Still, several people in the audience expressed dismay at the proposal.

“I was shocked to see offices and condominiums,” said Harold Oertle. “I do not want Los Angeles down here.”

Councilman Brian J. Rice said his first impression was: “Wow, that is a big project. I don’t think the council planned on anything of this size.”

Casa Romantica would be lost among buildings totaling 275,000 square feet of space, Councilman Thomas Lorch said.

Project developers Wayne and Cliff Ratkovich told the audience that the scope of the project would benefit the city. The condominiums will add $400,000 in property taxes to the $1.2 million the city can expect in annual tax revenue from the complex, Cliff Ratkovich predicted.

The city has hired an independent accounting firm to confirm the developer’s assessment.