State readies approval of Crystal Cove vision

Paul Clinton

The state’s Parks and Recreation Commission is set to consider, at a

Friday meeting, a plan to refurbish the historic cottages at Crystal

Cove State Park and rent them out to the public.

The hearing, which will be held in Newport Beach, comes after two

years of public input into how the state should use cottages it

purchased from the Irvine Co. in 1979.

“The public input process has been ... almost textbook in how it

has opened doors to a multitude of creative ideas for this special

place,” said Acting State Parks Director Ruth Coleman. “Those ideas

have helped us create a plan that is truly a shared vision.”

At the Friday meeting, which will be held at Newport Beach’s

Radisson Hotel, the commission will vote on an amendment to a 1982

general plan that needs approval before the restoration can occur.

The commission will also be voting on the reuse plan, which local

environmentalists endorsed after an earlier proposal to build a

luxury resort at the cove wilted under the heat-lamp of public

opposition.

“State Parks have incorporated something for everyone in this

plan,” said Laura Davick, a former Crystal Cove resident who now acts

as an activist in its restoration. “They have a good understanding

for what is wanted and needed down there.”

The state released an environmental report of its plan in October.

If the commission approves the amendment and plan, the state would

move forward with extensive rehabilitation that could begin as early

as the fall. The first cabins could be available as soon as the fall

of 2004.

A total of $12.1 million has been set aside for the work, which

would fund the restoration of 25 cottages for overnight use by

individuals and four cottages as dormitories for groups.