San Clemente : Planners Give Qualified OK to Development Plan

On the eve of a Planning Commission vote today, San Clemente’s planning staff gave qualified approval Monday to a 253-acre oceanside project that would include the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Archives.

Late Monday city planners were still at odds with the developer, Lusk Co. of Irvine, over one major environmental issue: the amount of open space Lusk should provide on this prime oceanfront property.

Located on a weedy, windswept bluff overlooking the sea, the land is believed to be one of the largest undeveloped parcels of oceanfront land in Southern California. The library would be built on a 16.7-acre parcel on the bluff.

Lusk said its plan will leave 85 acres, or more than 30% of its land, in open space, as city guidelines require. But city planners, using different calculations, said Lusk is providing just 65 acres. Lusk, which recently offered the city additional parkland--including a spectacular, 12-acre parcel on top of the bluff--said it cannot afford to donate any more land.

If Lusk, city planners and city officials don’t move quickly to resolve the issue, San Clemente’s future as the site of the presidential library could be at stake.

Impatient with delays, library foundation directors have threatened to move the archives to another city unless Lusk’s project--1,290 homes, three hotels, a commercial center and an oceanside park--receives city approval by July 1.