San Clemente to Allow 2 of 3 Streets to Remain as Two-Way

A plan to create several one-way streets near the San Clemente pier has been rescinded by the City Council after complaints from residents and merchants were voiced.

The hilly area above the pier, known as the Pier Bowl, has been plagued by parking problems on narrow streets, which in some cases have resulted in the blocking of two-way traffic. As a solution, city traffic engineers proposed making Capistrano, Santa Ana and Alameda lanes into one-way streets. All three branch off Avenida Del Mar, the main artery to the beach.

The city Planning Commission initially approved the one-way plan in December. The new plan, passed last week by a unanimous council vote, is to leave Santa Ana and Alameda lanes two-way and to make Capistrano Lane one-way. Plans are expected to be finalized at the next council meeting on Feb. 20.

Complaints came from the Pier Bowl Merchants Assn., representing a handful of restaurants and hotels near the beach, and some apartment building owners on nearby streets. Most of them said the proposed one-way street configuration would be too confusing for tourists unfamiliar with the area.

“I’d hate to get run out of business because no one could get in to my building,” said Jack Pastorok, owner of an apartment building on Monterey Lane, an existing one-way street that connects to Capistrano and Santa Ana lanes. “It would be a real can of worms to have nothing but one-way streets.”

Rick Anderson, owner of a bed-and-breakfast inn and a restaurant in the Pier Bowl, spoke on behalf of the merchant’s association. Anderson said the plan for three more one-way streets could create such confusion that a wrong turn could put tourists on a street that takes them back to the freeway.

Mayor Scott Diehl, who lives in the Pier Bowl area, said he agreed with Capistrano Lane residents who said the street is too narrow to accommodate two-way traffic. Diehl also suggested that Santa Ana and Alameda lanes remain two-way streets because of concern over tourists’ getting lost.