Letters to The Editor

STREAMLINING

LARRY CULBERTSON, president of the San Clemente Historical Society

On March 8, the Planning Commission will be considering a proposal to streamline the process for getting a building

Twenty parking spots, plus bike racks, will be available on-site, along with overflow shared street parking. Intricate design elements adorn the property throughout, and a city-approved landscape plan ensures this entire project will have high curb appeal from all directions.

The Caldava Mixed-Use Project will be constructed on the empty lots at 1430 S. El Camino Real. This approximately 23,545-square-foot, two-story mixed-use building will hold 10 apartment units on the top floor, office and retail space on the first floor, and subterranean parking for 49 vehicles.

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ART + DESIGN

THE BUSINESS BUZZ

BY JIM WYNNE

spaces along a significant transit corridor, these projects will provide crucial opportunities for living and working in San Clemente. As the SC beach kids of the 1990s and early 2000s begin to have children of their own, preparations are imperative now to meet the generational needs of future housing and employment options.

THE BUSINESS BUZZ

BY ARROW SANTOS

One of the residential units will be designated as “affordable at the low-income level” and must adhere to strict ongoing governmental standards for this designation. Unlike the other two developments mentioned here, this is the only project that runs just across the line of the Coastal Commission zoning boundary and will have to seek additional permissions for the construction.

On the final corner, Tommy’s Restaurant will be torn down and replaced with the new Shoreline Dental facility. This will be an approximately 6,000-square-foot, two-story commercial building with a dental office on the first floor and general office suites upstairs. Shoreline Dental’s San Clemente location is currently at 122 Avenida Cabrillo. By revitalizing these yearslong unused permit. The San Clemente Historical Society is concerned about the parts of that proposal that would diminish or remove the protection that historic buildings currently have.

City Council gave city staff and the Planning Commission a directive to modify the Zoning Code to make getting a building permit faster and easier. But we do not think it was the intention of council to remove the safeguards that are in place to protect historic resources.

The Zoning Code has evolved over

Keep an eye on southwest San Clemente in the coming years. With a still bountiful harvest of unused land, a smattering of seriously declining older structures, and many original real estate owners aging out, we are sure to see additional infill housing and live/work projects thrive in this area for the next generation to continue the legacy of Ole Hanson’s dream. SC

Jim Wynne, president of WynneCRE, is a San Clemente local, San Onofre Surfing Club president, and father of five, who serves as the immediate past chairman for the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce. Arrow Santos is a San Clemente native, professional writer/photographer and marketing director of WynneCRE.

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Megan Bianco, Jake Howard the years. There was a time, not long ago, when a permit to bulldoze an Ole Hanson Era building could be obtained “over the counter.” Today, not only are historic buildings protected, but the area of protection has been extended to include projects in the neighborhoods surrounding those buildings.

The proposed amendment would allow many projects that now must go to the Planning Commission for approval to be rubber-stamped by Planning Department staff.

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Another protection currently in place is the 300-foot rule. Projects within 300 feet of a historic building are held to a slightly higher standard of design than buildings further away. The purpose of this is to ensure that the architectural look and feel of the neighborhood, as stated in our Municipal Code, “will preserve and strengthen San Clemente’s historic identity as a Spanish Village.” The new proposal would slash the distance to only 120 feet.

The most disturbing aspect of the proposed amendment is that the lowered level of review would also eliminate the public notice and hearing that are currently required for many projects involving historic buildings or in the area surrounding them. This would deprive neighbors of their right to know about and provide input regarding projects that might impact their properties. Please let the Planning Commission know that our existing Zoning Code is working just fine when it comes to protecting our historic buildings and it needs no streamlining.

SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL REMOVAL STEVE HOPS, San Clemente

The recent opinion piece by Manuel Camargo, principal manager of Stra- tegic Planning for SONGS, reinflamed my outrage toward our Department of Energy. How do the senior managers of that public organization walk out their office doors at night comfortable with the thought that they’ve put in a hard day’s work in service to us?

They leave a vital task undone: moving the waste off-site. This is after 25 years of delay and $46 billion accumulated from surcharges to our energy bills.

Last I heard, New Mexico and West Texas were interested in the federal fees to be generated by devoting a barren patch of remote desert to store our waste, which is 25 yards from the ocean in an earthquake zone.

Join the coalition, Action for Spent Fuel Solutions Now, to support their efforts to move the waste at spentfuelsolutionsnow.com.

Regardless of your politics, or how you feel about Edison, I think all San Clemente citizens support the idea that we don’t want to leave that horrible pile of toxic crap for our grandkids to worry about.

FEAR OF FLYING TONY HAYS, San Clemente

The fear of flying, as noted in Shelley Murphy’s recent column “Time Flies & The Friendly Skies,” is real and understandable, but also unfounded, as the author admits.

A single statistic might alleviate that fear.

For worldwide scheduled operations of U.S. commercial aircraft with 30 seats or more, for the 12-year period 2010 to 2021 (which is the latest data I could find), the total number of fatalities was two.

So, the next time you board a commercial aircraft, relax. You are probably safer than staying at home.

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San Clemente Times reserves the right to edit reader-submitted letters for length and is not responsible for the claims made or information written by the writers. Have something you’d like to say? Email your letter to sraymundo@picketfencemedia.com no later than 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Limit your letters to 350 words or less. Please send with your valid email, phone number and address for verification by staff. Your address and phone number will not be published.

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