SEACLIFF — Area residents are pleased that a three-acre neighborhood park is included in a long-awaited plan to guide development of the Seacliff area.
Business owners also like the idea of landscaping the village commercial area and making it more pedestrian-friendly.
But some are questioning parts of the plan, including putting a "destination hotel" at the Poor Clares property and widening State Park Drive to three lanes.
"We can’t make everyone happy but I think the public will be pleased," said county planner Glenda Hill.
John Hibble, executive director of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, is reviewing the plans closely.
"It will control how the area is developed for the next 40 years," he said. "It’s nothing to take lightly."
Residents are invited to discuss a draft of the plan Thursday night at Mar Vista Elementary School. County supervisors are scheduled to review it on April 4.
Plans include:
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The Seacliff Village plan has been in the works for nine months since neighbors united against a project they feared would be a "strip mall" on McGregor Avenue. A moratorium on development has been in effect since August.
Neighbors lobbied for a park instead of commercial development. The Seacliff area, which is home to 5,000 people, doesn’t have any neighborhood parks, and the three-acre parcel identified in the new plan is one of the few undeveloped areas large enough to meet the county’s size requirements.
"This is the last opportunity to put a park in Seacliff," said resident Rick Stoker, whose wife Laura has been organizing a petition drive to persuade county supervisors to buy the property.
The Kumar family, which owns the property, had proposed building a motel there until the opposition surfaced. The family is willing to consider a sale, and has hired an appraiser, said real estate broker Fred Antaki said.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about putting a hotel on the Poor Clares property, which at 13.5 acres, is the largest parcel in the area. The property is leased by the Coastlands Church.
"It could be a 12- or 13-story thing," said attorney Cherie Bobbe. "The marine corridor should be protected. I will work as hard fighting that as the strip mall."
Dan Holdren, who owns land in the village center, said he would rather see a marine museum at the Poor Clares site. He worries that the village concept will be lost if State Park Drive is widened or a Blockbuster Video moves in.
Holdren said the area has the potential to become another Carmel. He envisions attracting "eco-tourists" who want to know more about the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
But to do that, Seacliff needs a makeover.
Developed in the 1930s, the area has a small commercial district with little parking.
"I remodeled twice, and both times parking was the issue that almost shot me down," said Michael Wade of Western Associates.
The village has other problems, too. A trailer park in the village center, operating without permits, has been red-tagged, and the streets are pocked with potholes. The state park maintenance yard, which has ocean views, is surrounded by a fence topped with barbed wire.
With resident Pepper Golesh, Holdren organized a 25-member committee that developed a list of nine priority projects, including the museum, the neighbhorhood park, and the commercial improvements. Most of the items on the committee’s list are included in the county’s plan.
"I felt optimistic," said Golesh, although she added, "There are things in there we’re going to have to work on."
Hibble of the chamber said county planners did a good job in "trying to make all the divergent ideas happen," but he suspects neighbors will ask for alternatives to the hotel.
How quickly any of the changes happen depends on how much money is available, Hill said. One of the few projects with a timetable is the utility undergrounding scheduled by Pacific Gas and Electric to start in 2001.
Residents also are hopeful the state parks bond measure on today’s ballot would help pay for some of the contemplated work, but no money is specifically earmarked for Seacliff.
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