Wednesday, January 10, 2007

San Clemente - Marblehead Coastal

Marblehead Coastal development proposes 69 custom-lot homes. Marblehead Coastal, a 248-acre community of 313 planned homes borders Colony Cove. Colony Cove, an established community of 1,200-1,300 square foot homes.

The developer of Marblehead Coastal, SunCal is seeking permission to convert 69 of the 313 residential lots into custom lots. City staff is recommending allowing houses as big as 8,000 square feet. The Planning Commission has recommended six of the lots be buildable up to 9,600 square feet. By merging as many as three lots into one under a proposed formula, a home could approach 19,000 square feet.

Council members asked SunCal to provide view simulations.

In a separate action, the City Council approved a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District to levy a special tax on owners of the 313 Marblehead Coastal homes to finance up to $60 million worth of community infrastructures.

The yearly tax could range from $5,988 to $15,000 per home, depending on the size of the home, a report to the City Council said. Councilman Wayne Eggleston speculated that it could go as high as $45,000 a year if a home is built on three merged lots.

The special tax doesn't apply to the Marblehead Coastal commercial center, which SunCal sold for separate development under an agreement that took into account proportionate infrastructure costs, officials said.

In a third action Tuesday, the City Council approved an updated agreement defining how SunCal will deliver its obligations to provide for parks, trails, a hotel conference center and other community improvements. It represents a $6 million increase in SunCal's funding obligations, officials said.