By Dennis Kaiser
The story of Dana Point's growth is actually that of how three
communities came together to form one city. Born in 1989, the
city is just under 10 years old. However, its history goes deeper
to the beginnings of the Capistrano Beach, Monarch Beach and Dana
Point neighborhoods. Development in Dana Point began in the early
1900s. But substantial building did not occur until the decades
following World War II. Over time, three communities mentioned
above emerged, each with their own character and architecture.
The city is named after Richard Henry Dana, a Boston law student
who left school to seek his health and fortune on the high seas,
eventually becoming a lawyer and author of the book, "Two
Years Before the Mast." Covering just 6.5 square miles
along the coast, Dana Point has often been called "the leftovers
of Orange County," because of how it was patched together
in a rush of incorporation that occurred in the 1980s in the county.
As a tourist destination, the city earns the lion's share of
its general fund revenues from hotel bed taxes and other tourist
related income. (No one ever questions the hospitality of a tax
on visitors, who are greeted upon arrival by the open palm of
the city government. DP Online)
Before incorporation, the three communities that eventually became
the city (of Dana Point), developed separately under the codes
of Orange County. Because of its desirable climate and coastal
location, by the time the city was incorporated, Dana Point was
born almost "fully grown," or built out. In fact, the
largest project in the city today is the $10 million Town Center
Beautification in which the city's leaders are attempting to roll
back the clock by creating a slower-paced, pedestrian-friendly
atmosphere in the Town Center area between Pacific Coast Highway
and Del Prado. (It sounds like a gigantic government imposed
Master Plan that is doomed from the start, which really is an
underhanded way to back-door Redevelopment into Dana Point. DP
Online) Since it is nearly at build-out, Dana Point has
very little undeveloped land. Efforts to develop what is left
have been stymied either by the political process or a lack of
interest by the property owner. (News reporter Kaiser
has a lot of gall to infer that when a property owner has a design
to use his property that is different from the Planning Department,
that this represents a "lack of interest." DP
Online)
Meanwhile, according to Ed Knight, director of Community Development
(a friendly-sounding name for the Planning Department, which is
in control of enforcement of the zoning code, which was formed
under Knight's influence and according to his recommendations-*),
"Redevelopment is a dirty word in Dana Point." (Which
is only true because of Mr. Knight's sleazy role in trying to
use the power of the city to condemn private property under the
urban renewal laws, in the so-called Lantern District, which was
derailed by a popular act of mass resistance-*: DP Online).
There are some possibilities and perhaps a need for redevelopment
or remodeling in the city's Doheny Village area. The problem
is that there are numerous owners for the various parcels in the
village and improvements would have to be done piecemeal. Some
examples of positive change are the addition of the new Doheny
Hand Car Wash building and clearing out some vacant buildings
that had become home to vagrants. According to Knight, redoing
the village "is slow going." (Of course it is slow
when your intention is to deny ordinary people of their legal
rights to own property, in order to hand that land over to speculators
who will make a fortune re-developing it. Additionally, who is
paying off News reporter Kaiser? His re-phrasing of the
much-hated word "Redevelopment" as "remodeling,"
may be a portent of future doubletalk from the planning department,
and the portrayal of a Car Wash as an improvement is positively
glowing. On the other hand, his dismissive attitude regarding
homeless "vagrants" exposes his callous disregard for
human life, especially of the down-and-out variety;
hopefully, if Kaiser ever falls on hard times, he will encounter
people who are more compassionate than he is. Ironically, if
the City Council were doing its job, and providing services for
the homeless, the community would be free of the nuisance of "vagrants,"
who instead would be in supervised programs where their activities
can be accounted for, and where their energies can be channeled
in a positive direction. DP Online)
Another area that could see some redevelopment or remodeling is
the Palisades portion of Capistrano Beach, home to some of the
oldest houses in the city. However, under current height restrictions,
in place to preserve ocean views, it is doubtful that a significant
amount of construction could occur that would affect the population.
(Which is not to mention the $1 million PLUS homes in the Palisades
community, whose occupants have the means to fight off an offensive
attack by the city to condemn their property and take it under
eminent domain laws. Bureaucrats don't care about fighting little
people, and financing the battle with the very taxes paid by the
little people; but they don't like to engage in battles they have
no chance of winning. DP Online)
The Lantern District (or, Old Dana Point), is also another area
that could be redeveloped. Its future is tied to the Town Center
project and the improvements the city has planned for that business
district. Currently housing a poorer Hispanic population, a revitalized
Town Center could attract more up-scale professional people to
the Lantern District, if some of the older buildings are re-done.
In terms of overall population growth, it is doubtful a revitalization
of the Lantern District would cause a dramatic increase in the
number of people living there. (This editor feels that reporter
Kaiser is coming dangerously close to making a racist assertion
here. The underlying sentiment would seem to appear that Kaiser
feels that if all those Mexicans - er, Hispanics
- were removed, that the neighborhood would be enjoyable for nice,
upscale tourists. He declines to comment on the fact that in
order to make such a tourist wonderland possible, the entire current
population of the area must be dislocated. Get a clue,
Kaiser; and maybe you can buy a conscience. DP Online)
Regarding Dana Point's population, in 1995 it hovered around 36,456.
By the year 2020 it is projected to jump to 41,779, according
to the Center for Demographic Research at California State University,
Fullerton. However, Ed Knight said he has serious doubts that
it will even grow that much, based on many of the restraints (imposed
on him by the popular resistance of the majority of the people
of Dana Point. DP Online)
SOURCE: Reprinted from the 23 April, 1998, issue of the Dana Point News, a property of the Orange County Register. Reprinted in the public service of the community interest. |
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