DANA POINT : City Rejects Proposal for Time-Shares

Saying the city has enough time-share units, the City Council has turned down a proposal for development of more.

“We weren’t going to be seeing a lot of new construction of time-shares; we were going to be seeing a lot of conversions of old hotels,” Mayor Karen Lloreda said. “And you simply cannot do time-share conversions that meet the kind of standards that Dana Point should have.”

The proposal would have allowed time-share conversion or development in most of the city’s commercial areas, including Town Center, Doheny Village and along Pacific Coast Highway.

There are four time-share projects in the Capistrano Beach area, three of which were approved by Orange County before Dana Point was incorporated in 1989.

In August, 1994, the city imposed a moratorium on time-share projects, saying that guidelines, especially for converting buildings, needed to be updated.

On Tuesday, the city staff presented the council with proposals for time-share guidelines as well as a related zoning ordinance. The council, however, rejected the plan.

Supporters of the ordinance maintained that the city would have a tight rein on time-share conversions.

“What we’re trying to do is give us the very best control over the use of time-shares so we can generate income for the city,” said Councilman Harold R. Kaufman, who voted for the proposal.