Dana Point Allowed to Clear PCH Rubble

Nearly 10 months after a massive landslide buried a 300-foot section of Pacific Coast Highway, the California Coastal Commission has agreed to allow city officials to begin clearing about 44,000 tons of rubble from the once-busy roadway.

The commission approved a plan Friday that will clear the street, but take no measures to shore up the unstable slopes that loom 75 feet above Pacific Coast Highway north of Camino Capistrano. Dana Point officials estimated that it may be a year before the excavation project is completed and Pacific Coast Highway can be reopened.

After months of waiting in vain for eight San Clemente homeowners who live on top of the bluffs to sign liability waivers allowing the slopes to be stabilized, “we just decided it was time to go forward or this will never get fixed,” said Dana Point City Atty. Jerry Patterson.

Under the proposal approved by the Coastal Commission, the city must build a 25-foot-high wall along 300 feet of Pacific Coast Highway and clear the tons of earth and debris from the road. The excavation project is estimated to cost about $2.9 million, most of which will be paid by the federal government.

Five San Clemente houses were destroyed in the Feb. 22 landslide, which covered a portion of Pacific Coast Highway that lies within Dana Point city limits.

Friday’s Coastal Commission vote surprised San Clemente officials, who expected Dana Point to present a plan that called for steel cables to be installed in the ground to reinforce the slopes.

But San Clemente City Manager Michael W. Parness said he understands why Dana Point decided to take action.

“Some of the homeowners need to stop and smell the roses. I don’t fault Dana Point,” Parness said. “We are not thrilled with the alternative” Dana Point is using, “but we understand where they’re coming from.

“If they had done this two months ago, I would have been very upset,” he said. “But at some point we have to start moving forward.”

The added cost of stabilizing the cliffs--estimated at $200,000 to $400,000--will be shared by the cities and homeowners, City Atty. Patterson said.

However, if the homeowners don’t sign the liability waivers, they will have to pay the total bill for restoring the slopes, Patterson said. The waivers absolve the city of liability for new slides, but would not require homeowners to give up their rights to take legal action stemming from the Feb. 22 disaster, he said.

The homeowners still have 30 to 60 days to negotiate while Dana Point completes the project’s plans, Patterson said. The Dana Point City Council authorized the excavation plan during a closed session at its Nov. 9 meeting.

San Clemente Councilman Thomas Lorch said he felt Dana Point “didn’t want to roll the dice over resolving the homeowner issues and just wanted to get the highway open.

“I think if they had worked on this a little more, the situation could’ve been resolved,” Lorch said.

Peter Shikli, a resident of La Ventana who lost his house in the slide and has led a group of homeowners affected by the slide, could not be reached for comment.