Marines Propose Housing at San Clemente Site

The Marine Corps wants to build housing for Camp Pendleton officers and their families on a 40-acre site where the late President Richard Nixon once had a Western White House office compound.

The military proposes to put the 128 duplex units on San Mateo Point next to several San Clemente neighborhoods next year. The project would cost $5 million to $10 million and take 12 to 18 months to complete.

San Clemente City Planner Jim Barnes said Thursday that the project will be reviewed in public meetings and before neighborhood associations, including Breakers, Cotton Point Estates and Cyprus Shores.

Community comment on the housing plan will be submitted to the Marine Corps in July. According to Barnes, probable concerns include landscaping, transportation and who will pay for water and sewer services.

The government-owned land has been vacant since 1979, when a Coast Guard station was shut down, but has been used for field training, Marine spokesman Lt. David Steele said.

He said the project would help remedy a shortage of housing on base.

Construction on 32 acres would leave the rest of the site for landscaping and a park. The site lies on the border of Orange and San Diego counties.

“The purpose of working with the city is to provide a concept appropriate to all parties involved,” Steele said.

The issue will be discussed at a city Planning Commission meeting on May 31 and at a City Council meeting on June 15. Barnes said he is also seeking opinions on the project from city departments such as transportation and housing.