Progress at El Morro Village

Finally, there is real progress at Crystal Cove’s El Morro Village, as tenants of the beach community have agreed to vacate before March 1 in a settlement that will give the state some money and allow public use of the prime ocean spot that has been gated and reserved for private use for many years. The agreement brings to an end a 25-year struggle between proponents of private versus public use of a place that the public spent a lot of money to acquire.

The mobile-home community, which had been at the site since the 1950s, had its land sold out from under it, and it was understandable -- if unfortunate -- that the residents would not want to give up without a fight. A lot of memories were made there, and no doubt there will be much sadness at the end.

The battle over El Morro Village mirrors the one conducted over the Crystal Cove cottages. The cottagers, like the mobile-home dwellers, fought ferociously to keep their feet planted on that special ground before finally ceding to the public will.

Now the cottages are in the process of being restored and renovated to keep alive the “beach dream” they represent for generations of Californians.

Of course, the historic value of mobile homes does not quite equate with that of charming beach cottages that date from the 1920s and ‘30s. Instead, the mobile homes will be removed and a campground will be created.

The most unfortunate aspect of the protracted struggle is that the delay has resulted in escalating costs for the future park.

The highest bid for the park construction was $15.8 million -- about $5 million more than state parks officials planned to spend in 2003, when the plans were put in place.

The rising cost of the project and the state’s fiscal strains nearly scuttled the park plan, as some local officials began to actively work against the public use of the parkland, but these efforts have been squelched by public outrage.

While we sympathize with the displaced mobile-home dwellers and vacationers, we hope that they finally go quietly so the next phase in the history of this remarkable property can begin.