Hundreds walk Aliso Creek

Some 500 people turned out Saturday to walk the grounds of the Aliso Creek Inn and Golf Course, in preparation for a Monday scoping session on a proposed redevelopment of the 325-acre property by the Athens Group.

The golf course was closed for the afternoon to allow visitors a first-hand look at the site of proposed future improvements, including a new hotel and spa, residential cottages, redesigned nine-hole golf course and practice field, and other amenities.

Of particular note on the tour was the degraded condition of Aliso Creek.

Athens, which developed the nearby Montage Resort & Spa, plans to use a similar Craftsman style architecture for the Aliso project.

The scoping session will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Laguna Beach City Council Chambers, at City Hall, 505 Forest Ave.

Athens representatives led groups on hourlong tours of the grounds from the western edge to the eastern boundary line, stopping to view specific sites and the proposals at those locations.

Project critics from the South Laguna Civic Assn. presented an opposing view of the proposal, saying the project would destroy a pristine canyon.

The proposal calls for:

+171,900 square feet of new construction, of which 100,370 will be an inn and spa, cottage rooms and residences with a total of 75 units; 51,349 square feet for ballrooms, meeting rooms, restaurants and bars, retail, golf clubhouse, sports and fitness facilities, spa and lobby. The rest will be for administration and housekeeping and other functions.

+Redesigned nine-hole golf course, open to the public, and practice field. Athens representatives say the acreage of the golf amenities will be virtually the same as in the existing golf course.

+251 acres of open space, an “Artists Walk,” and public hiking trails linked to easterly trail systems.

NOTE: For a slide show of the tour, go to top navigation menu “Multimedia” and click on “Top Shot Gallery.”

For more information about the project, visit www.lagunabeachcity.net.