Montage to buy Aliso Creek Inn

Barbara Diamond

Montage Resort and Spa owners expect to expand in the next couple of

weeks after escrow closes on the purchase of Aliso Creek Inn and Golf

Course.

“We are very excited to acquire one of the most beautiful

locations in Laguna Beach that will complement Montage’s oceanfront

environment,” said Marguarite Clark, corporate director of public

relations.

The turnoff to the inn and golf course is about three-tenths of a

mile south of the resort, tucked into a deep canyon, through which

Aliso Creek runs. The property includes a nine-hole golf course, pro

shop and snack bar, 62 advertised rental units and the main building

which includes the Canyon Lodge American Grill, bar and meeting

rooms.

General Manager Ed Slyman declined any comment on behalf of

himself and property owner Violet Brown.

Clark declined to comment on the price offered for the property or

any specific plans for its use.

“But I can announce that Chef James Boyce of the resort’s Studio

restaurant will preside over the menu with his ideas of a steak

house,” Clark said.

Speculation about the resort owner’s motives in buying the

property ran riot this week -- many jumping to the conclusion that

the property was seen as a solution to the Montage’s perceived

parking problems.

A golf course and probably sufficient land to build a couple of

tennis courts would also be beneficial to the hotel, adding credence

to the “resort,” which Montage bills itself.

“This is a property with a whole lot of potential,” Mayor Cheryl

Kinsman said. “Getting someone in there with financial resources and

expertise will be beneficial for the city.”

The property is about 87 acres, divided into four contiguous

parcels, some of it on the north side of Aliso Creek, according to

city records. The main building and the rental units are on two of

the parcels. The golf course, pro shop and a snack bar are on the

other two.

“Maybe with a new owner, we could get Aliso and Wood Canyons

connected to the beach,” said Mary Fegraus, executive director of the

Laguna Canyon Foundation. “The county has been trying to get Vi Brown

to do that for centuries.”

Laguna Greenbelt Inc. never developed a relationship with the

property owners, despite the proximity to open space, because it is

the access group, President Elizabeth Brown said.

“The property has been sitting like a cork in the hole of Aliso

Canyon,” Brown said. “Although I hate the expression, this could be a

win-win situation, with a combination of public access and public

amenities.”

Even the notion of expanding the golf course to 18 holes raises no

red flags with her, provided the construction destroys no open space

connectivity and is done with the advanced technology that has made a

golf course in Irvine a model for environmentalists.

“It’s already a developed site,” Brown said. “They could make it

something like Shady Canyon in Irvine, on which we worked very hard.”

The property has problems. It floods. The rental units reportedly

are termite bait and below code. Renovations could be costly, time

consuming and contentious. But the rewards could be enormous.

“We have no plans at this time to rebuild, but we are committed to

making improvements to Aliso Creek Inn,” Clark said. “We will know

more when we have a better opportunity to evaluate the property.”

Escrow is expected to close Feb. 29.