Coastal Commission Staff Opposes San Simeon Plan

Setting the stage for a political battle royal over the future of one of California’s most breathtaking coastal landscapes, the staff of the state’s Coastal Commission on Wednesday recommended denial of the Hearst Corp.’s proposal to build a sprawling resort complex on the headlands north of San Simeon.

With the blessing of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, the Hearst Corp. has sought to build a multistage resort development consisting of three hotels, a dude ranch, a retail shopping arcade and an 18-hole golf course that would extend north along coastal bluffs between California 1 and the Pacific Ocean.

The new buildings, with room for 650 overnight guests, would spread across the wide-open country between the ocean and the famous castle built by the late William Randolph Hearst.

But the staff of the Coastal Commission concluded that the development, and in particular the golf course, would be inconsistent with the California Coastal Act by obstructing views and coastal access, intruding on sensitive wildlife habitat and requiring conversion of agricultural land to tourist uses.

“The staff is concerned about the visual intrusiveness of the golf course,” said staff member Tami Grove. “Golf courses are also heavy water users, and there are extreme water limitations on the north coast.”

The staff recommended cutting the development from 650 hotel and motel rooms to 350, that virtually all of the new building be confined to the area around the village of old San Simeon and that a 1,000-foot agricultural easement be put around the allowable development area to protect against any future expansion.

Representatives of the Hearst Corp. could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The Coastal Commission is scheduled to consider the staff’s recommendation at a hearing Jan. 15 in San Luis Obispo.