Hearst Corp., seeking to resurrect a long-stalled plan to build a resort along an unspoiled stretch of the Central Coast, has made an offer it calls a compromise but some environmental activists see as a potential trap.
Under the proposal, Hearst would sell its right to develop 83,000 acres--most of its vast coastal land holdings--if it receives permission to build the resort on 257 coastal acres near the famed Hearst Castle at San Simeon.
"This is a wonderful opportunity" to preserve tens of thousands of acres of open space, said corporation executive Stephen Hearst. "We're talking about a great move for the environment."
Critics, however, are not sure whether the offer is the deal of the century or a polite form of environmental extortion. They note that when the project last came before the state Coastal Commission, it was rejected as too big and too intrusive for the rolling, pristine landscape that has been called "the last frontier from encroaching urbanization from the north and south."
"A rose is a rose," said Susan Jordan, a board member for the League for Coastal Protection. "If the project was inconsistent with the Coastal Act in 1998, it is still inconsistent."
The critics also note that Hearst Corp. has recently filed building permit applications that could open the way for development of thousands of the acres in question. The applications, which could substantially increase the value of the development rights Hearst is offering to sell, are seen by some as a threat to start building if the current offer is rejected.
At the heart of the dispute is a proposed 650-room hotel, a sea-front golf course and an equestrian center the company has been trying to build on a point in San Simeon.
Stephen Hearst, vice president and general manager of the Sunical land division of the Hearst empire, said talks are already underway with several conservation groups to buy the development rights. The groups include the Nature Conservancy, the Conservation Fund and the Trust for Public Land, he said.
The deal would guarantee that more than 99% of the Hearst holdings in and around San Simeon would remain undeveloped "in perpetuity," Hearst said. He also said for the first time that Hearst Corp. is willing to compromise on the size and placement of the resort in an effort to minimize its impact on the coastline, and on the views of tourists traveling along California 1, a national scenic highway.
