San Clemente Council Delays Decision on Rooftop Restaurant

Originally posted at 7:43 a.m. Oct. 2, 2013. 

The plans for a rooftop restaurant and bar in North Beach will come back before the San Clemente City Council one more time.

The council put off making the final decision yay or nay on the North Beach Rooftop Grill and Bar Tuesday after applicant Dave Gutierrez presented council members with what looked like a phonebook of documents, studies and counterpoints.

The San Clemente Planning Commission had rejected the plans in August, citing concerns about noise and lack of convenient and safe parking.

Gutierrez’s hundreds of pages bound together address all of those issues and more, he said.

“The project was designed as best and highest use and meeting all the codes and ordinances,” he told the City Council.

Councilwoman Lori Donchak wasn’t so sure.

“There are a handful of deal breakers with this project, the parking being one,” she said. “The project lives and dies on the issue of off-street parking.”

Gutierrez thought he had an agreement with the nearby Elks Lodge to use its parking lot, but a member came forward to say the lodgesmen never voted, and they also had concerns, especially about liability.

“We were blindsided on this,” said Harold Book.

The matter is expected to come back on Nov. 5.

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