SAN CLEMENTE : Casa Romantica Plans Put on Hold

Plans to renovate the historic mansion Casa Romantica have been delayed after a potential developer withdrew from the project.

Because developer Cliff Ratkovich dropped his plan for a $55-million Mediterranean-style tourist resort in the Pier Bowl area of San Clemente, city officials say, they will need time to reorganize.

“It’s officially on hold,” said City Manager Michael T. Parness. “We’re back to step one of the public process.”

Parness told the City Council that it could expect a report on the next step of the redevelopment project sometime in July, citing the recent resignation of a key member of the city’s planning staff who was in charge of the renovation.

Ratkovich surprised city officials last week by announcing that he was dropping the project in the face of determined opposition from several community groups. They complained that the proposed resort was too ambitious for the sleepy seaside community.

The Ratkovich proposal would have built a hotel, 60 condominiums and several restaurants and retail shops on the six-acre site.

Parness said that Ratkovich was also influenced by a financial report commissioned by the city that conflicted with the developer’s estimate of the project’s worth.

“The bulk of it (Ratkovich’s pullout) was the lack of consensus, the potential that he was going to have to struggle through the process,” Parness said.

The city has refused to release details of the financial report. But in an April 27 letter mailed to city hall and all five City Council members, Ratkovich indicated that he and the city were some $12 million apart on their estimates of the project’s value.