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Zoning administrator approves temporary circus event at San Clemente outlets
Summary
The San Clemente zoning administrator approved a temporary use permit for a traveling circus at the outlet mall, finding the event consistent with zoning and exempt from CEQA under Class 1 and Class 11 exemptions.
San Clemente Zoning Administrator Adam Atamian approved a temporary use permit on April 17, 2025, allowing a traveling circus to operate at a vacant parcel of the San Clemente Outlets at 101 W. Avenida Descanso from April 29 through May 13, 2025.
City project planner Araceli Mejia told the zoning administrator the event would use an undeveloped portion of the Marblehead Coastal Specific Plan regional-commercial parcel and that the applicant estimated 300 to 500 attendees per show. Mejia said the schedule calls for shows May 2–5 and May 7–12, with May 6 a dark day, each show lasting about an hour and 45 minutes. Mejia also reported operational limits from the applicant: no mechanical rides, no performing animals, no pyrotechnics, and no alcohol sales.
The zoning administrator said he reviewed prior events at this site, noted the footprint was unchanged from a prior circus, and acknowledged past minor drainage and puddling at the location as an operational consideration for the applicant. For environmental review, Mejia recommended the project be determined categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under CEQA Guidelines section 15301 (existing facilities) and section 15311 (accessory structures). The zoning administrator adopted Resolution ZA25-008 approving Temporary Use Permit 25-085 subject to the conditions of approval.
Staff noted event security would be provided by the circus management (an eight-member security crew during operating hours) and a 25-member crew for waste management. The applicant will use amplified sound limited to inside the tent. The zoning administrator closed the public hearing after confirming there were no public speakers on that item.
The decision permits the temporary event to proceed subject to the listed operational conditions and the city’s standard temporary-use requirements. There was no formal vote roll call recorded; the zoning administrator made the finding and adopted the resolution on the record.
