San Clemente council approves height exemption for outlet hotel; rooftop restaurant cleared with limits after heated public hearing

The San Clemente City Council approved a zoning amendment and a related permitting action on Sept. 16 that will allow a hotel at the San Clemente Outlets to be taller than the base specific‑plan limit and to include a rooftop dining area, after weeks of review and a lengthy public hearing.

The council voted unanimously (5–0) to introduce and conduct first reading of ordinance 17 95 to amend the Marblehead Coastal Specific Plan to permit a height exception that would allow the hotel identified as Building 15 to reach 55 feet to the plate line and 62 feet to the highest projection. On a separate vote the council approved the project permit and certified Addendum Number 6 to the 1998 Final Environmental Impact Report; that action passed on a 4–1 vote, with Councilmember Mike Wu dissenting.

City staff said the addendum, prepared by Aspen Environmental Group and dated September 2025, reviews the limited change and concludes the proposed increase would not produce new or more severe environmental impacts than those already analyzed in the 1998 EIR covering the Marblehead Coastal Specific Plan. Adam Atamian, the city’s community development director, told the council the addendum found no new mitigation measures were required and that publicly designated view corridors would be preserved.

The permit approved by the council authorizes a…