Reservations about Miramar Hotel project

As the reigning king of mega-mall development in Los Angeles, Rick Caruso is no stranger to adversity.

It took him eight years, a multimillion-dollar legal battle and a public vote to finish the just-opened $400-million Americana at Brand retail center in Glendale.

So Caruso's latest project, renovating the dilapidated Miramar Hotel near Santa Barbara, should be a walk in the park by comparison, right?

Wrong, says a corps of organized opponents. They see Caruso's $200-million plan to rebuild the century-old resort from the ground up as a threat to local water quality and an unacceptable departure from the rustic cottage-style bungalows that generations of families have enjoyed.

As the southern entry to Santa Barbara, the 14-acre beachfront location in Montecito has great historic and sentimental value to the community. Any development there must be scrutinized carefully, and that hasn't happened, said Marco Gonzalez, a lawyer representing one Santa Barbara group opposed to the Caruso plan.

Questions about the size of the 202-room project, about parking and noise, and about storm-water runoff into a nearby creek have not been adequately addressed, Gonzalez and other opponents say. They also accuse the county of fast-tracking the approval process to please Caruso.

"We don't think an L.A. developer who tries to ram a project through the staff, as this one has, shows enough respect for the community's sentiment for this property," Gonzalez said.

Before it closed eight years ago, the Miramar Hotel was an affordable beachfront destination for families from across Southern California. Over the years, cottages and other buildings were added.

Two other owners have tried to restore the hotel. Designer Ian Schrager got through the approval process but abandoned the project after tearing down some of the buildings.

Its next owner, Santa Barbara hotelier Ty Warner, ran into trouble with Montecito residents with his plans for the site.

Caruso bought the property in January 2007.

With a crucial hearing before the Montecito Planning Commission scheduled for Wednesday, Caruso is employing his charm, hands-on schmoozing and zest for challenge to see that his first resort project gets off the ground.

He's meeting with residents in their homes. He's attending homeowners association gatherings. Got a question about the parking, layout or landscaping? No problem, Caruso tells residents. Call him on his cell.