Saving a Coastal Jewel
The California Coastal Commission convenes its regular meeting today in San Luis Obispo. With the panel scheduled this week to consider the Hearst Corp.’s development plans for portions of its vast holdings in and around the San Simeon castle, local residents--supporters and opponents of the project--prevailed on the commission to bring the meeting to them. Certainly Hearst’s plans for some of the wild, wind-swept coastal hills and bluffs it has long owned will most directly affect residents of nearby Cambria, Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. But the intense heat these plans have generated speaks to the interest of all Californians in the fate of a 16-mile stretch of coastline many consider one of the state’s true jewels.
Late last month, the commission’s staff urged the panel to deny Hearst’s latest proposal. Those plans call for multistage construction of three hotels, retail shops 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 and possibly for employee housing, would dot the wide-open country between the ocean and the castle built by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. The staff report concluded that this development, particularly the golf course, would be at odds with the California Coastal Act because it would obstruct views and coastal access, intrude on sensitive wildlife habitat, require conversion of agricultural land to tourist uses and strain existing water supplies. We agree.
While the Hearst Corp. is frustrated by what it sees as endless delays and government meddling in the use of its private property, the company has not helped its cause. It has been reluctant to firm up promises to bolster public access to the shore and to protect grazing land surrounding the proposed development. Hearst says current zoning will protect these lands; however, local zoning rules can easily change. This reluctance has raised legitimate concerns about Hearst’s long-term intentions.
Hearst’s proposal is part of an overall plan approved by the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors for its coastal area, a plan the state Coastal Act requires every coastal county to adopt. It is the most recent amendments to the countywide plan that the commission will review this week; the coastal panel must approve those changes before construction can begin.
The Hearst folks insist that since the early 1980s they have scaled back their original plans, that there is an obvious need for more facilities for the nearly 1 million people who visit the castle each year and that the corporation is entitled to develop its 77,000 acres, at least in part.
These arguments are compelling. But more compelling is the Coastal Commission’s legal obligation to safeguard irreplaceable coastal resources for all Californians. The shoreline around San Simeon is one of the last open and accessible stretches in the state. Its decision here will set a precedent for other undeveloped portions of the coast.
The commission staff has recommended dozens of new changes, mostly to reduce and concentrate the hotel and commercial units to maximize open space and recreational opportunities, preserve the area’s postcard views and reduce traffic impacts. These are appropriate, and without better protection for ranchland near the coast and improved public access to the shore, the commission and public have cause to be wary.
