Common folk give their vision for Crystal Cove

Paul Clinton

CRYSTAL COVE -- Now we know what the people want for the state park.

They want to restore some of the cottages, but not all, and make at least

two dozen available for overnight rentals and a handful to be used as

cultural stopping points.

In a December newsletter, California State Parks officials provided some

details from the most recent public workshop about specific uses for the

46 historic, yet ramshackle, cottages.

Parks planners surveyed about 110 people who attended a Nov. 1 planning

workshop, where they filled out written surveys informing the state how

they want the cottages used.

The state is planning to release a tentative plan for the park, purchased

from the Irvine Co. in 1979 for $32.6 million, which will be based on

public input.

An average number of the 107 people who completed individual work sheets

want 25 or 26 cottages made available for overnight public rental,

according to the data.

They also want eight or nine cottages set aside for state operations;

three or four to be used for culture, arts, research and environmental

programs; and one for a snack shop. The six remaining cottages are not

accounted for in the survey.

The results surprised few of the environmentalists who have actively

worked to shape the plan for the cove, thought of by many as a demi-Eden.

“I don’t see anything in here that is a problem,” heiress Joan Irvine

Smith said about the new information. “This is not set in stone.”

Smith and others have pushed for a handful of cottages to be used for

research and arts programs.

The survey also laid out a conceptual framework for any future use of the

cove -- preservation of the cove’s physical environment and historical

character, restraint on any development, full public access and limited

parking.

Some respondents to the survey also indicated that they didn’t want the

state to restore cottages that are in “poor condition” because it would

be too costly.

Six of the cottages had been vacant even before the former residents were

evicted July 8.

“As guiding principles, these are right on target,” said Susan Jordan,

the executive director of the League for Coastal Protection. “The public

has brought the message to State Parks about how this should be used.”