Dana Point Officials Debate Where to Build City Hall : Government: Council members are considering three privately owned sites as well as city land at Del Obispo Park.

When Dana Point became a city in 1989, its fledgling administration had a vision. Officials wanted to build a gleaming city hall, a community focal point worthy of the residents of this harbor town.

Now, nearly seven years after achieving cityhood, and with $3 million stashed in the bank, the City Council is ready to take its first step toward a permanent facility that city workers can call home.

The problem is, no one can agree where to put it.

“Every time I turn around, they put a new site on the list and then take it off,” said Mike Eggers, who sat on Dana Point’s first City Council.

Faced with a hefty lease of $31,710 a month at their current headquarters, on the second floor of an office building across from Dana Hills High School, city officials are determined to move out.

Over the course of four years, after reviewing about two dozen potential sites around town, officials have finally settled on two main options: build a new hall at Del Obispo Park on land already owned by the city, or purchase one of three properties near Town Center.

“City staff have always felt that Town Center is the more ideal location, that it might pull the city’s identity together,” said City Manager Stephen B. Julian. “The council has felt that city hall should not occupy valuable commercial space there. You get this sort of round robin.”

Not all council members have nixed the idea of a city hall in Town Center, the so-called heart of the city, running from Street of the Green Lantern to Doheny State Beach, along Pacific Coast Highway and Del Prado Avenue.

In a community of 36,000 people that’s struggling to revitalize this economically lackluster core area, the idea of a city hall creating a destination for potential customers seems to make sense.

“I still believe that if we had a city hall in town center it would do a lot to help businesses,” Councilwoman Judy Curreri said. “I’d like to see some more activity down there.”

But opponents of the town center plan maintain the city shouldn’t be buying more property.

“I would rather have our city hall on a piece of land which we already own rather than having to go purchase another piece of property,” said Councilman Harold R. Kaufman, who favors the Del Obispo Park site. “And I don’t want to take any [commercial space] from businesses that might want to use it in the future.”

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There are now three town center options before the council: the Community House site between Del Prado and Pacific Coast Highway, the Dana Point mall, and a site at Pacific Coast Highway and Street of the Silver Lantern--all privately owned properties.

The city will not disclose the price tags because it wouldn’t be strategically savvy to do so before negotiations begin, said Gregory Pfost, assistant planner.

The other alternative is to build at Del Obispo Park. The problem with that plan, opponents say, is that the property lies in the middle of a flood plain.

“You don’t put a city’s center in the middle of a flood plain and in an area that’s subject to liquefaction during an earthquake. That’s just foolish,” said Mayor Karen Lloreda, who had supported an earlier plan to build the facility at Harry Otsubo Park.

That proposal was eliminated last month because nearby residents opposed it, saying it would destroy the view and the peace in the largely residential area.

Most of the council has at least come to a consensus on the kind of city hall they want to see.

It should be owned, not rented. It should be a symbol of the community, but not an architectural masterpiece. It should be 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, compared to the 13,478-square-foot building that currently houses a staff of 36 employees. And it should be cost-effective.

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But not everyone thinks the city needs to build a facility.

“I’m not sure the residents want us, the City Council, to spend $3 million to build a new city hall,” Councilwoman Toni Gallagher said. “What people have said is that they want more open space in Dana Point. Maybe we need to put this on the ballot.”

When the time comes to build the city hall, city officials expect to have $4.5 million set aside. Officials don’t know yet how they’ll raise additional funds if the project costs more.

“We haven’t even gotten to that stage yet,” Pfost said. “Right now we’re just doing site identification. Once we narrow it down, our plan is to do preliminary studies to determine what our different alternatives are, then we’ll have more of an idea what the costs will actually be.”

With the lease on the current facility expiring Dec. 31, 1996, the city has limited time to ponder the issues. The city has budgeted $30,000 for a consultant to examine the various sites.

“I’m looking at it as more a dollar and cents issue,” said Councilman William L. Ossenmacher, who prefers the Del Obispo Park location. “Where can we get a facility for the lowest cost? It’s not ideal, but it’s also not a perfect world.”

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Hall Hopes

Dana Point officials have narrowed their options for a new city hall down to those choices: the Del Obispo Park area or one of three properties near Town Center.