250-Acre Coast Project Pending

A builder has scaled back plans for one of the last privately owned parcels of undeveloped Southern California coastline, agreeing to preserve the striking canyons, wetlands and sage scrub that mark the bluffs known as Marblehead in San Clemente.

The Lusk Co.’s revised plan calls for 358 homes and about 750,000 square feet of commercial development, but will preserve 80 acres as open space, up from about 68 acres in a previous plan. That previous proposal was criticized by the California Coastal Commission in March.

The San Clemente City Council is expected to vote on the project tonight.

The development is on a site once proposed for the Richard M. Nixon library.

Residents and environmental activists who have railed against development of the 250-acre property for two decades grudgingly concede that Lusk has a much better plan now, though it is not perfect.

“They have come a long way,” said Mary Ann Comes, who moved to San Clemente 15 years ago. “What they’ve come forward with is a big improvement. It’s still not really what we want.”

The Irvine-based developer’s former proposal to build 412 homes, an outlet mall and retail center on 250 acres of coastal canyons, wetlands and coastal sage was rebuffed by the coastal commission in March.

One commissioner admonished Lusk chief executive Jim Johnson to “try to be a little less greedy,” and the company withdrew those plans.

Johnson could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But city officials said the developer has worked with commission staff to shape the latest proposal.

“That was our advice to them--they need to work with [the commission] staff, and if staff says it’s approvable, then they have a very good chance of having it approved,” commission chairwoman Sara Wan said. “I can’t say until I see it but . . . if they followed the commission’s recommendations, they should be OK.”

Commissioner Shirley S. Dettloff said though she has not seen the plan, she is optimistic based on what she has heard. “I was very glad to see they have made what appear to be some major changes,” said the Huntington Beach city councilwoman. “Protection of those canyons was extremely critical.”

The residential development not only avoids the canyons and wetlands but also is pushed back from the coast, another commission recommendation.

The project still would have about 750,000 square feet of commercial development, including an outlet mall, a retail center and a large movie theater. The commercial acreage was reduced from 60 acres to about 50 acres to preserve a canyon that bisects the property.

San Clemente city staff have recommended approving the project, which would boost the city’s tax revenues. The developer also has agreed to fund other local projects in exchange for city approvals.

“It’s a major component of our economic profile,” City Manager Michael W. Parness said.

The commercial development at Marblehead would provide about 50% of the city’s sales tax revenue in coming years, Parness said. The developer also would pay for part of an $18-million interchange for the San Diego Freeway.

The developer agreed to fund such project as:

* $1.5 million in North Beach improvements,

* $1 million in downtown improvements,

* $1 million for a new senior center, and

* $250,000 to expand the library.

Still, some citizens are concerned.

Comes, a member of the San Clemente Citizens for Responsible Development, said traffic and noise will be horrendous and access to open space is limited.

She also worries that oversight of open-space areas will be transferred to a homeowners association rather than a public agency or nonprofit conservancy. And the idea of placing an outlet mall and movie theaters on such property rankles.

“It’s just seems like . . . they could do something really special with it,” she said. “If you walk out there, it’s awesome. . . . It’s just a gorgeous piece of property, one of the last ocean-view properties around. It just seems like a shame to have to put an outlet mall on there and movie theaters.”

“It’s a tough situation,” she said. “We need the money coming into the city. But there’s other ways, smarter ways, to go forward.”