Read Our Latest San Clemente Times Column: "Business Buzz: Historic City Hall To Be Demolished, Exact Replica To Be Built In Its Place."
By Arrow Santos
Recently, the building owner of Historic City Hall (101 S El Camino Real) reached out to us to aid in his search for new uses for his iconic property. He had correctly heard that quixotic contrivances were our business specialty within the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce, and we readily welcomed his enlistment for this endeavor.
Located on arguably one of the best business lots in downtown San Clemente, Historic City Hall commands a view down Del Mar, with the sightline stretching beyond to the ocean and horizon. Unlike its exhilarating position at the top of town, not much excitement has made its way from the exterior to the interior in many moons. Also, what’s up with everyone saying this location never was city hall historically anyway!?...…continue reading
Applied Medical Owns 36% Of All Rancho Santa Margarita Industrial Real Estate Space
By Arrow Santos and Jim Wynne
Applied Medical is a medical device company specializing in innovative new technology and the advancement of minimally invasive surgery. Applied Medical was founded in 1987 by Said Hilal and had only seven employees at first. Now a business powerhouse and real estate empire, the company employs over 5,000 people across the globe. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, Applied Medical has purchased dozens of industrial properties across the city over the last few decades. Take a drive around town and you will see their brand-painted industrial buildings all around the business park....…continue reading
Read Our Latest San Clemente Times Column: "My Afternoon With Ole."
By Arrow Santos
Of the “7 Wonders of the Ancient World,” only one remains today: the Great Pyramid of Giza. The other six have been lost to history, with the occasional rubble heap left behind.
To be fair, the Great Pyramid started as a stone pile and has dutifully remained as such ever since. The rest of those once irreplaceable locations are essentially of no relevance today.
Recently, San Clemente’s very own “Wonder” of the not-so-ancient world, Casa Romantica, nearly turned into a pile of stones.
Coastal cliffside instability under the Casa led to two major landslides in recent months, causing significant damage to the estate, disruption to railroad service on the tracks below, and uncertainty about the future of this nationally registered historic site...…continue reading
Read Our Latest San Clemente Times Column: "Mayor to Announce New Galactic Empire During State of the City Event.""
By Jim Wynne & Arrow Santos
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San Clemente, CA: Initial development plans have been submitted to the City of San Clemente, requesting a massive Amazon facility be constructed in the heart of the Rancho San Clemente Business Park. The target location is on two of RSCBP’s last vacant land parcels, situated between Calle Sombra and Calle Cordillera. Sprawling over 20 acres, the industrial facility would measure nearly 98,000... Read More
Lake Forest, CA: Wow, Montana is nice this time of year! Wait a minute, this isn’t a rustic ranch vacation spot – it’s the brand-new Lake Forest Civic Center! The four-building, 103,000sf campus has been 25 years in the making. It opened at the end of 2019, but finishing touches are still being wrapped up across the massive facility. First impressions: This place is REALLY nice – and no details were spared in its creation.
Jim Wynne at Kidder Mathews spoke on behalf of the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce at the latest Transportation Corridor Agencies' Board Of Director Meeting. After years-long discussion, a favorable solution has been reached for the citizens of South Orange County. Find out what happened here…
San Clemente, CA: The Emergency Shelter Coalition will steamroll the resounding “NO” vote from local business owners and proceed to close escrow on two combined 10-acre land parcels along Avenida Pico. The vote, tallied last month, determined if the land in question could be removed from the Rancho San Clemente Business Park Association’s covenants, conditions and restrictions. The resolution to remove failed to pass, with an overwhelming majority of approximately two “no” votes for every one “yes” vote.
“What’s up with the post office landscaping?”, a local business owner recently asked us. Leaves and twigs lay piled in the gutters, plump weeds exploded out of the planters in an attempt to overrun the parking lot, trash could be seen scattered throughout the dead shrubbery, and the areas that were green billowed over the sidewalk – blocking the view of any driver attempting to navigate a now-blind corner onto Calle Amanecer.
After our original story was posted just over a week ago, we received an overwhelming response from the community. Many individuals were surprised or frustrated that an escrow had been opened with a homeless shelter operator without a public announcement. Others we spoke with were not aware their vote was needed before escrow can close. Multiple business park members even stated they had thrown their ballots away without realizing what was going on.
San Clemente, CA: 10 acres of land along Avenida Pico are currently in escrow to with the Emergency Shelter Coalition. This non-profit group previously was involved in a lawsuit with the City of San Clemente in 2014 regarding the ongoing homeless situation.
The two land parcels (APN #688-011-01 and #688-011-02) are owned by the Rancho San Clemente Business Park Association. The sale is contingent upon a passing vote from Rancho San Clemente commercial property owners that would allow the two parcels to be removed from the current “Open Space – Private” zoning and business park CC&Rs.
