San Clemente subcommittee reviews preliminary plan for six homes, bluff viewpoint and beach access at Boca bluffs

The San Clemente Design Review Subcommittee convened Oct. 21 to take public comment and give preliminary feedback on a proposed subdivision and design concept for the Boca bluffs at parcels identified as 320–326 La Rambla and 312–314 Boca Del Canon. The applicant proposed reconfiguring seven existing parcels into six single‑family home lots, creating a public viewpoint atop the bluff and formalizing a beach access stairway in roughly the current informal location.

The meeting was advisory: Cameron Cosgrove, chair of the subcommittee, emphasized the session was a “preliminary request” and not a full application. “This is a preliminary review of their plans before they submit their application,” said Zach Ream, principal planner, who described the session as an opportunity for staff, commissioners and the public to identify key issues that the formal submittal and environmental review must address.

Why this matters: the site is on an oceanfront bluff with a history of instability and prior landslides. State and local coastal policies require new bluff‑edge development to demonstrate geologic stability without reliance on shoreline protective devices and to preserve public views and access. Because of those constraints, staff and neighbors said the project will almost certainly require a CEQA review (likely an EIR) and a thorough geotechnical demonstration that the proposed houses and any grading will be safe for the project’s expected lifetime.

Project summary and staff concerns The applicant team, led by applicant Lee (Li) Wong (licensed landscape architect/site planner) and including Brand Architects and Total Engineering, described a tentative tract map that would produce six homes, one public lot with a viewpoint (to be paid for and maintained by the proposed HOA) and a formal beach stair where an informal trail currently exists. Zach Ream told the subcommittee staff’s December comment letter and the staff memo circulated that week flagged the principal…