April 15–DANA POINT — Answering the call of a public chorus, the Dana Point Planning Commission on Monday night denied a five-story, four-star hotel proposed for the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Dana Point Harbor Drive.
Though commisioners said they would like to see a hotel built in an area that many people describe as an eyesore, they agreed with the overwhelming sentiment in the audience that the Doheny Hotel would be too large for the site and would present too many challenges.
Commissioner Norm Denton recused himself from the 4-0 vote because his homeowners association owns land close to the site. The decision is final unless appealed to the City Council. The developer also could submit a new plan.
In the commission’s third hearing on the project, developer Beverly Hills Hospitality Group offered a second modified version of its proposal. This one, referred to as “Modified Option B,” expanded on a plan in which part of Lantern Bay Park would become a front driveway for the hotel.
The new modification also would reduce the number of rooms to 250 from 258 and increase parking to 375 onsite spaces from 275 spots onsite and 50 offsite.
In response to concerns about delivery trucks affecting traffic on Pacific Coast Highway, the new option would move 65 percent of deliveries to a loading dock on the proposed driveway.
The modified plan also would decrease the number of floors in the east wing closest to PCH from three to two to address complaints about the height. Other parts of the building would reach up to five stories and be well above the city’s 35-foot height restriction.
The new plan responded to the majority of the public’s and commission’s previous concerns and marked an improvement to the project, said Cora Newman, spokeswoman for the developer.
The changes, along with more than 100 conditions the commission could enforce later in the process — including building aesthetics — made the project deserving of approval, Newman said.
“And we will be, if approved, the only hotel in Dana Point that will call ourselves the Dana Point Doheny Hotel,” Newman said, referring to other large hotels in town that don’t use the city’s name.
But the changes weren’t enough to satisfy residents who again voiced opposition to the project.
More than 100 people packed a gym at the Dana Point Community Center for the meeting. Thirty people spoke during the public comment period, with only five in favor of the proposal.
Resident Harold Kauffman, a former planning commissioner, said he initially opposed the plan, but as the developer made changes, he came to support it.
“I’ve sat where you’ve sat now and I’ve granted variances and I’ve been questioned,” he said as he encouraged the commission to approve the hotel despite the public opposition.
The project would require a variance for both its height and setback, as they would not comply with city regulations.
Most speakers continued to express concern about the size of the hotel and the potential effects on traffic at the already- busy intersection.
Resident Raymond Payne scoffed at the suggestion that putting “Dana Point” in the hotel’s name is important. “As a special favor they’ll name their hotel after Dana Point and not Laguna,” he said. “How big of them.”
Commissioners said there are still too many concerns about traffic, parking and size. Chairman Gary Newkirk said only 50 percent of the plan complied with city regulations and that there was no hardship that would allow for a variance. Though the nearby Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa had variances, as Beverly Hills Hospitality pointed out, that hotel has 24 rooms per acre, while the Doheny Hotel would have 111 rooms per acre, Newkirk said.
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