With major rainstorms predicted over the next week, crews in San Clemente were busy at work on Wednesday, Jan. 31, covering a hillside beneath the Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, where the city has been doing emergency work to stabilize the slope.
Work on the $8.5 million project – done through an emergency permit from the California Coastal Commission – started in November and is expected to stabilize the ground beneath the historic home that was damaged in April when the slope collapsed, tearing the property’s view terrace apart and sending debris and rubble down into several units of a condominium and onto railroad tracks along the beach.
The landslide caused train traffic to be halted through the area for weeks,
The work is about a third done, said David Rebensdorf, San Clemente’s assistant city engineer.
The steep slope is being reinforced with four rows of tiebacks that are being bored into the hillside and stabilized with cables connected to concrete beams. Crews have been making good progress, Rebensdorf said, but have stopped now because of the rain from a storm expected to hit the area early Thursday morning.
“We’re covering the area with plastic and drainage from the property will be pumped out onto the street,” he said, adding that this storm, what National Weather Service meteorologists call a Pineapple Express because of its tropical Pacific origins, is expected to be more impactful than previous rain events.
While crews are doing their best to cover the areas presently being stabilized, Rebensdorf said it’s always possible for rain to get beneath the surface, and with construction underway, challenges can arise. Still, he was optimistic that the ground will remain stable.
Since the emergency work began, there has been “very nominal movement, if any,” he said.
The 2.5-acre property was once home to city founder Ole Hansen. The buildings and land are owned by the city, but programs are put on by a nonprofit. The venue is used for public art programs and a place where schoolchildren learn about the beach town’s history, and the property is also a picturesque rental venue for weddings and other private events.
The more than 100-year-old casa sits on a cliff high over the city’s pier and offers panoramic views of the ocean and coastline from its manicured gardens and view terraces.
Since parts of the property were red-tagged on April 27, city officials have done their best to get it stabilized.
An initial geological study and work to shore things up cost the city $75,000, but those temporary repairs and efforts to remold the slope didn’t stabilize the soil enough. In July, with massive community support, the council agreed the property was critical to the city and opted for the permanent slope repair now underway.
On Wednesday, Jacqui Groseth, executive director of administration and resource development, and Kylie Travis, executive director of programs and operations, praised the city and the geotechnical crews for their work in stabilizing the slope.
“We’re not worried,” Groseth said of the impeding inclement weather, adding that the plan the city has in place has been used before when there were rain events. “They’re covering the slope with plastic tarp, so there is no saturation. They’ve got basins and pump systems.”
Travis added: “If it’s really windy, they’ll have people on site. They are doing everything possible to not have it cause any further damage.”
Since work on the slope beneath the casa began, programming has been limited to the property’s courtyard and west terrace. Through the summer, the women said, it was easy to navigate, but as the weather turned colder and wetter, they’ve had get creative.
Some concerts have been rescheduled to later dates, but their art shows – such as the current plein air paintings from the James Irvine Swinden Family Collection on display – are continuing as scheduled.
There are also new events planned, including a children’s concert series set to begin in April and, on the first Sunday of every month, the casa staff is hosting a family day when admission is free. Private events have also resumed, they said, and so far the property has 27 weddings booked between now and June, with one planned for this weekend.
After April’s slide shut down the facility’s ocean-view terrace, they had to issue $300,000 in refunds. Groseth estimates that the casa’s programming budget lost at least $500,000 since the slide. That number also includes additional unexpected expenses for rentals and other accommodations necessary for some of the events they have hosted.
The community has been extremely supportive in helping raise back the lost revenues, they said. Since the slide, casa has recouped $275,000 of their $500,000 goal.
“The community loves Casa Romantica and wants to ensure that everything here continues,” Groseth said.
Once the hillside is stabilized, which could take another six to eight months, city officials will work with the Coastal Commission to see what can be done to restore the former ocean-view terrace, they said.
“Half of it is still there,” Groseth said. “Something will have to be done, it can’t be left in the state that it’s in.”
Rebensdorf said the question remains if it can be restored or how much of it can be.
In the meantime, after the tiebacks are complete, dirt removed from the slope will be put back to cover the wire and concrete beams, he said. The slope will also be replaced with native plants.
Below the casa, city crews are also working with the Reefgate Condominium homeowners association to deal with damages there. That includes replacing a retaining wall and dealing with drainage issues, Rebensdorf said.
Tarps were also placed on the hillside near the condos to protect against the expected rains, said City Manager Andy Hall.
