San Juan Capistrano developer’s new mission: an inn

Bill Griffith believes he has a responsibility to help maintain downtown San Juan Capistrano’s old-town vibe and create a place that will inspire tourists to spend more than a day in the city.

Griffith, president of Rivendell Land Co., will lead the development of the new Mission Inn, next to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The new hotel will replace the old Mission Inn bed and breakfast, which opened in 1959 and closed a few years ago.

The city unanimously approved the site for a hotel in 2010. The Stroscher-Thomson family, who owned the land since the 19th century, was originally going to build the hotel, but the bad economy stalled the project. The Stroscher-Thomson family sold the property in 2010 to Goveia Commercial Real Estate, which then sold it to Rivendell Land Co. earlier this year.

“We saw the potential of the property, and it’s the only currently approved hotel site in the downtown area, which is a much-desired thing for the businesses and people living in San Juan,” Griffith said.

The $40-million luxury hotel, which will have 124 rooms, a small conference center and event, retail and restaurant space at 31878 Camino Capistrano, is set to break ground this year and open within the next few years. Dan Friess, site development manager, said the hotel will generate about $1 million a year in tax revenue for the city.

Griffith, a 25-year resident of San Juan, said one of his goals is to get visitors to stay overnight in the city. Mission San Juan Capistrano, founded in 1776 by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order, gets tens of thousands of visitors annually, he said, but they often do day trips because of the lack of hotels in the area.

He sees the hotel and the history and quaint vibe of the area as dovetailing nicely.

“The architecture and decorum of the site will try to reinforce not just the mission history but the equestrian history and some of the heritage of San Juan,” he explained. “It will become demonstrated in that architecture and decor. It’s really going to be a fun thing.”

He also envisions a symbiotic relationship with the mission.

“The hotel will be unique because of its location,” Griffith said. “It’s been a keen opportunity to expand on the mission and the historic town center program to define it architecturally and functionally. That is to say, we have worked with the mission, and they don’t have the support facility to extend their programs in terms of weddings, christenings and all these different events that happen at the mission.

“Having this facility next door is going to be a tremendous asset, not just to the mission but to all the businesses.”

Mechelle Lawrence-Adams, executive director at Mission San Juan Capistrano, said the hotel will be an architectural statement that will be useful to the mission’s guests.

“The former Mission Inn stood there for decades, and the new boutique hotel will step in its place by continuing to engender the spirit of hospitality that was established there by former property owners,” she said in an email. “The hotel project planners appear eager to work collaboratively with the Mission San Juan Capistrano to ensure the mission business district remains a unique and special place for travelers, residents and regional visitors alike.”

The site is still looking for an operator, but Griffith hopes to find a company with an international presence so San Juan Capistrano can be “exposed at a different level.”

Meanwhile, Rivendell Land Co., which was awarded the Mayor’s Community Pride Award in 2004 for its part in the restoration of the historical Esslinger Building, is working with the city to add more parking to the Mission Inn site to help alleviate parking problems downtown.

The hotel, Griffith hopes, will be a statement piece for the city like the mission has been for centuries.

“This is a cool, old California town,” he said. “The residents don’t want it to change, and we don’t want it to change, except to add things that will make it better. We feel an extra responsibility because the mission has been there for so long, and we hope the hotel will be there for so long. I hope that 50 years from now, people go by and say, ‘You know, whoever did this, did it right.’”