San Clemente residents will continue to explore the possibilities of establishing an amphitheater in town, but under a new capacity after a unanimous vote from the San Clemente City Council last week.
The council on Thursday, Sept. 14, dissolved the Citizens Amphitheater Committee, which was initially established in August 2022 and had its last of four meetings late last month. The recently established Arts and Culture Committee will now consider the subject of securing an indoor or outdoor performing arts space, with direction from the council to expand to seven members.
An ordinance ratifying the Arts and Culture Committee as a five-member body was passed on Aug. 15 and will be brought back to the council for revision, according to City Clerk Laura Campagnolo.
“Thank you so much for the opportunity,” said now-former committee member Amanda Quintanilla, who also commended the group’s working relationship and the impact of Beaches, Parks & Recreation Department Director Samantha Wylie.
Councilmember Rick Loeffler was the first to mention increasing the Arts and Culture Committee’s membership as a way to “combine” the two groups. He added that he’s received contacts from many in the community who are interested in participating on the committee.
“I would just suggest that if we dissolve the amphitheater committee (and) fold it into the Arts and Culture Committee, that we expand the number (of members) to seven,” Loeffler said. “It just seems like in that kind of committee, they’re going to need a lot of different inputs on a lot of different things.”
As evidenced by the item’s unanimous vote, his suggestion received support from his colleagues, with Councilmembers Victor Cabral and Mark Enmeier vocally backing Loeffler’s comments.
Enmeier referenced what he perceived to be part of the reasoning behind the amphitheater committee’s creation, which involved the discussion of the San Clemente High School Drama Department’s lack of facilities to match its high level of performance.
“One of the reasons why that isn’t there is because of a bond that wasn’t passed several years ago that would’ve updated the Triton Center and created that theater facility for them,” he said, encouraging any future iterations of a committee to work closely with the high school regarding development.
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock also said he preferred to dissolve the committee, seeing as he felt the group had accomplished its goal. He added that he envisioned the amphitheater at Bella Collina San Clemente, a private golf club that can seat between 500 and 1,000, or the vacant parcel of land near the intersection of Calle Saluda and Avenida La Pata as acceptable possibilities for future use.
In their agenda report, city staff had expressed the amphitheater committee’s concern over whether the open parcel could be used, given Measure V’s requirement of having voters decide to permit rezoning or development of space.
However, City Attorney Elizabeth Mitchell said an amphitheater use is an express exception to Measure V.
Knoblock called the concept of a performing arts space a “jewel” that would benefit both public and private organizations.
“I think the concept has merit,” he said. “I think it would provide a real amenity to our community and would be something that would help our cultural reputation.”
The vote followed city official Wylie’s time speaking with the council, during which she conveyed the committee’s acceptance of an indoor performance space as an alternative option and the emergence of community groups that would be interested in partnering with the city or renting the space.
Ballet Academy & Movement, the Camino Real Playhouse, and the high school drama department were organizations that expressed tentative interest.
Regarding potential spaces, Wylie said the facilities at the Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens wouldn’t satisfy a desire for between 150 and 400 seats, and that the Community Center auditorium—which seats 300—would need significant renovations.
The committee saw the Moonlight Amphitheater in Vista as a dream model for San Clemente, she added, but it stopped short of recommending the city build a similar structure because of the financial implications.
Knoblock shot down the committee’s concerns.
“The charge of the amphitheater committee wasn’t to analyze finances but to look at the options for an amphitheater,” he said, adding that the city could pursue private funding for such a project.
Wayne Eggleston, another former committee member, initially brought up Bella Collina as an option for the city while it looks to potentially determine a more permanent solution. He emphasized the need for San Clemente to progress one level at a time and establish itself as a city with a reputation for performing arts before seeking to build a multimillion-dollar performance space.
“We need to have the credibility as a community for performing arts before we can have private funding or city financing or anything of that nature,” said Eggleston.
Mayor Chris Duncan refrained from expressing his opinion on the item. Knoblock motioned for the council to disband the committee and expand the Arts and Culture Committee to seven members, with Cabral seconding the motion.
The application period for the Arts and Culture Committee has been extended to Sept. 22. Applications can be found at san-clemente.org or by emailing the city clerk at cityclerk@san-clemente.org.
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