City to Clear a Major Path : Long Wait Ends; Dana Point to Rid PCH of Slide Debris

After 10 months, hotel owner Darin Klein finally had cause to celebrate Wednesday.

He learned that an ugly chain-link fence and 44,000 tons of rubble will be removed from a 300-foot stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, reopening the thoroughfare and allowing a normal flow of business back to his Dana Point Holiday Inn.

“It’s absolutely great news,” said Klein, a Dana Point resident and owner of the 29-unit hotel since 1986. “I can’t really say how much this has hurt me . . . probably to the tune of $20,000. Hotel owners live and die on drive-by business.”

The Dana Point City Council prompted Klein’s joy by voting Tuesday night to clear the highway that was closed by a massive landslide Feb. 22. The council had delayed action for nearly a year as city officials tried to negotiate with bluff-top property owners on a plan to reconstruct their damaged properties at the same time.

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But those negotiations have failed so far, and frustrated council members agreed not to wait any longer to remove the highway obstruction that has caused motorists to be detoured.

“We have got to get that highway open,” said Councilwoman Karen Lloreda, who lives near the slide area. “There are businesses at both ends of the slide area and residents on the palisades who have paid an enormous cost for the delays. We just can’t wait to proceed.”

By a 4-1 vote, the council took the first step in a $2.6-million, federally funded project in which the highway will be cleared and a 25-foot-high wall will be built below the damaged bluff. The city received a permit for the project last month from the California Coastal Commission.

The council left the door open for the seven property owners on La Ventana in San Clemente--who lost their homes in the slide--to reopen negotiations. To do so, they must agree to contribute $200,000 toward a broader project that would include reconstructing the crumbled bluff so they can rebuild their damaged homes.

If the homeowners--or perhaps the city of San Clemente--can come up with the money by Jan. 11, the city could easily switch to the more extensive project, said Dana Point Councilman Mike Eggers.

“They’ve got one more chance, but the train is leaving the station,” Eggers said. “We’ve bent over on this so many times, my back hurts.”

The negotiations involving the two cities and the homeowners began shortly after the February night when the 75-foot bluff collapsed, sending a 30-foot-high mountain of dirt and debris across four lanes of Pacific Coast Highway.

Both cities are involved because the homes are in San Clemente but the hillside below is in Dana Point.

Only four of the seven homeowners have agreed to pay a share of the $200,000 total bill. The four include Richard Vaughn, who is already planning to rebuild his home, with or without help. He has purchased the damaged home of a next-door neighbor and will combine the two properties.

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“I certainly understand the city’s position . . . but I’m just going to get started on my home,” said Vaughn, 55, who has lived on La Ventana for 10 years. “I told my contractor that as a Christmas present, I wanted to start before the holidays.”

To kick off the debris removal project, the council agreed to a $61,800 contract for engineering design services with Aliso Viejo-based Nolte and Associates. City officials say they hope to get the project underway by March.

Bracing the Bluff The cities of Dana Point and San Clemente have agreed on a plan to stabilize a bluff along Pacific Coast Highway that crumbled during heavy rains last spring. How it will work: Landslide on Feb 22 blocked PCH Retaining wall will rest on top of caissons, which are drilled holes filled with metal and concrete. Proposal’s cost: $2.6 million Source: City of Dana Point; Resesarched by CAROLINE LEMKE / Los Angeles Times