North Beach San Clemente

The development group, LAB Holdings, LLC, selected by the city to transform the parking lot area at North Beach into a retail center presents its latest site design plans to City Council today.

"The main thing is that with these kinds of projects there are a series of committees and groups we have to satisfy and, for the most part, they have different needs - city councils, Coastal Commission. When you're doing this size of a project, there's going to have to be compromise. With the right amount of compromise, we think that after 14 months of working with the city staff that the project is positioned really well." said Shaheen Sadeghi, principal of LAB.

Most recent changes to the plans include: The removal of the single level of underground parking at the Ole Hanson Beach Club side of the project, a reduction in scope from 65,000 square feet to 47,000 square feet due in part to a building setback from the beach club and some conflicting underground utilities.

The City Council will review the new plans. If council were to green light the plans, another 18-24 months of work with getting the environmental impact report completed and working through plans with Coastal Commission.

Story Corps

Awed by the historical power of the recordings made by Works Progress Administration folklorists and writers who toured the country in the 1930's and 1940's, Dave Isay started the non-profit StoryCorps in 2003 to gather the stories of everyday Americans.

The idea caught on, and StoryCorps has become one of the fastest growing US non-profits.

Anyone can make an appointment at a StoryCorps recording booth, bringing along a loved one. A StoryCorps facilitator guides the 40-minute interview. Some suggested questions: What was your happiest moment? What are you most proud of? Is there anything you've always wanted to tell me? The fact that the two people are already connected makes for unguarded, intimate conversations with riveting results.

At the end of the session, a CD of it is given to the participants. Another CD - if the participant approves - goes to an archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Though StoryCorps asks for $10 as a suggested donation for a session, its costs more than $250 t0 record each interview.

www.storycorps.net

Renters

Residential Renters, Orange County and Elsewhere.

1 in 4 renters pay over 50% of their income on rent.

Ten years ago, 1 in 5 fit this category. Thats a 25% increase in the last decade, in the number of people paying over one-half of their income on rent.

Rental Rates are expected to rise 4% this year (Nationwide).

Average Rates & Annual % Increase

• Orange County $1,449 6%
• San Diego $1,223 4%
• New York $2,591 8%
  

Oil Price - Range of Motion

Year Low-High
2003 $25-$40
2004 $32-$55
2005 $41-$70
2006 $55-$78
2007 $50-$79

Home Services of America

The 2nd biggest residential brokerage company in the USA.

Owner: Warren Buffett

Based in Minneapolis

Marblehead Coastal - Specific Plan

http://san-clemente.org/sc/Inf/Forms/Planning/Download/429996%20SunCal%20MarbleHead%20Specific%20Plan.pdf

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.