San Clemente Planning Commission continues Miramar Theater appeal after notice shortfall; residents press for preservation review

The City of San Clemente Planning Commission on Nov. 5 accepted public comment on an appeal of tenant-proposed revisions to the Miramar Theater but continued the matter to a special meeting on Nov. 13, 2025 at 5:00 p.m., after staff said the required 10-day site posting had not been completed.

City Planner Jonathan Lightfoot told the commission that municipal code section 17.12.140 requires three types of public notice (publication, mailing to a 300-foot radius and site posting). Staff confirmed the newspaper publication and mailed notices had been completed but that the site posting had not reached the 10-day requirement. Lightfoot recommended the commission receive public comment but delay substantive discussion and decision to a date certain.

Appellant Larry Culbertson, who provided renderings and site plans to the commission, said tenant-proposed revisions — including a 5-foot-tall fountain and new walls and gates — would substantially block views of the theater portico and would eliminate three approximately 14-foot-wide egress points and an ADA ramp that were shown on the 2017 approved site plan. “The top rendering is from the 2017 approved design packet. It shows the Miramar with no wall or fences obscuring the view of the building,” Culbertson said. He requested staff provide final plans with department sign-offs and verification by a qualified historic-preservation professional that the revisions would cause no harm.

Katie Potts, president of the San Clemente Historical Society, told commissioners the society believes the proposed tenant revisions would “adversely affect the historic integrity of the property” and asked that a preservation consultant review the plans before any change is approved. Catherine Hall, who said she owns the Goldschmidt house, said historic exteriors are protected in San Clemente and criticized proposed exterior changes as altering the character of the building.

Staff and the chair also disclosed recent site visits: commissioners had toured the Miramar site and the chair had met with the appellant and offered the applicant (the proposed operator identified in the record as Wedgwood Weddings) the same opportunity to walk the site. Given the posting shortfall, the commission voted to continue the public hearing to a special meeting on Nov. 13 at 5:00 p.m. The chair said the appellant and the applicant would each be allowed extended time (10 minutes each) to present at that continued hearing.

Next steps: The Planning Commission will reconvene the Miramar appeal at the special meeting on Nov. 13, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. Staff was asked to provide the commission with the renderings and any final plans, department sign-offs, and any historic-preservation review materials before that hearing.