Developer rejoices as Dana Point Headlands project takes shape; conservationists call it 'catastrophic'
The development is going up after 30 years of legal battles. Empty lots sell for up to $12.5 million.
After more than 30 years of legal, legislative and environmental battles, the multimillion-dollar development on the Dana Point Headlands -- one of the last untouched promontories in the region -- was unveiled in a coming-out party Wednesday afternoon.
Invited guests could nibble hors d'oeuvres under a white tent while enjoying rolling waves, sea breezes, a rugged coastline -- and an estimated $18-million view.
Eventually, the 121-acre project will have 118 ocean-view homes, with the premium locations a few dozen feet above the sand -- plus five parks, a 90-room hotel and spa and a 35,000-square-foot shopping center.
Dana Point Headlands: An article in Thursday's California section about the Dana Point Headlands project said developers completely leveled the original outcropping, home to the endangered Pacific pocket mouse and threatened California gnatcatcher. In fact, 30 acres were set aside as a conservation park for wildlife.
"It's the culmination of a long, arduous process," said Sanford Edward, president of Headlands Reserve, which is developing the property. Edward bought the land a decade ago, and said clearing all the regulatory hurdles "was tougher than I thought it was going to be."
Just 15 or so homes are under construction at the site, where grassy, 9,000- to 10,000-square-foot parcels are selling for as much as $12.5 million -- for the land alone. Although the average sale price has been half that, the $12.5-million deal broke Orange County records, said Edward, as he flipped through renderings of the Tuscan-style, Cape Cod and boxy contemporary homes being built.
Once buyers own the dirt, the houses -- with such luxurious touches as infinity pools, home theaters and eight-car garages -- can cost $10 million more.
To make way for the houses, developers completely leveled the original outcropping, home to the endangered Pacific pocket mouse and threatened California gnatcatcher, and reshaped 2 million cubic yards of earth into the terraced lots of the Strand at Headlands. The land is supported by extensive retaining walls of concrete blocks. To the south, the rocky promontory shielding Dana Point Harbor remains.
Conservationists describe the development as "catastrophic." The California Coastal Commission's 2004 approval of the project was "a tragic loss for the coast and coastal protection," said Mark Massara, director of coastal programs for the Sierra Club. Referring to Wednesday's celebration, Massara said: "These guys are like dancing on this desecrated bluff; it's just really a shame."
City officials in Dana Point, who initially signed off on the project more than six years ago, are excited about the 68 acres of new parks and trails.
