Miramar Needs New Foundation, Other Big Renovations

Peter Rutti of consultant WRL presented his findings to the Planning Commission July 3. He said the roof is "shot," and has a number of leaks and gaping holes, the bowling alley portion needs a new roof and the building is riddled with dry rot and water damage.

In addition to years of vandalism, the lobby and front portico were also damaged by a fire and the firefighters who extinguished it several years ago, Rutti said.

Widely considered an eyesore, the North Beach theater has had more than 20 different uses over the years, Rutti said. As a result, a lot of interior space could be opened up, windows added and parts of the building removed without sacrificing the historic nature of the structure, he added.

Despite the amount of renovation necessary to get the Miramar habitable, owner Marc Spizzirri said he wants to move forward on the repairs as soon as possible.

"We're ready to do something now," he told the planning commission. "We've been sitting on the sidelines waiting for this report, but the sooner we can get started, the better."

The project has the potential to turn into a money pit, warned Dave Kubly, Spizzirri's own consultant. Kubly said his experience is that renovating historical structures is hugely expensive.

"What I've learned is you take your worst-case budget and double it," he said.

No specific plan for the structure exists, but the general idea is to make the movie theater portion a multi-use space that could hold 300 to 500 people for events, plays, live music or movie screenings, Kubly said.

The bowling alley portion could contain a 1,500-square-foot commercial kitchen serving the theater space, and a cafe to pay for the caterer's overhead when events weren't ongoing in the theater.

The report from WRL is set to go to the San Clemente City Council to receive and file at their meeting on July 16.