CITY OF SAN CLEMENTE
MINUTES OF THE ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE
DESIGN REVIEW SUBCOMMITTEE
AUGUST 12, 2026
Subcommittee Members Present: Chair M. Steven Camp, Vice Chair Cameron Cosgrove and Member Scott McKhann
Subcommittee Members Absent: None.
Staff Present: Araceli Mejia, Assistant Planner
Zach Rehm, City Planner
Zak Ponsen, Assistant City Engineer
Chair Camp called to order the Design Review Sub-Committee (DRSC) meeting for the City of San Clemente on August 12, 2026.
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
None.
2. ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
A. PHP 26-336, DSP 26-342, Miramar Event Center Signage Addition and Landscape Change, 1700 N. El Camino Real & 150 W. Avenida Pico A request to consider adding a 7 square foot sign on the Miramar Event Center façade, reduce the number of street trees along El Camino Real from 9 to 7 and along Boca de la Playa from 3 to 2, and change southeasternmost stairway at El Camino Real and Boca de La Playa to a concrete bench. San Clemente Materials Guide
Assistant Mejia and City Planner Rehm summarized the staff report and provided a presentation titled, “Miramar Event Center.” A copy is available by contacting the Planning Division.
• Landscape Modifications:
o Amanda Quintanilla expressed opposition to planting additional trees on the El Camino Real side to preserve the vehicular line of sight, and opposed planting trees on the El Camino Real side, stating they would be intrusive on the sidewalk.
o Staff clarified that only two trees are proposed on the El Camino Real side, and they will only be planted in the future if the sidewalk is widened. o Larry expressed support for the proposed 7 palms on El Camino Real, calling the count minimal, and stated, "As far as the trees, the less trees, the better," to ensure the theater remains visible when driving up or down the street.
o The committee accepted the proposed tree locations, noting that they do not block sight lines.
• Bench & ADA Access:
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Design Review Subcommittee Meeting Minutes August 12, 2026 Page 2 o Amanda Quintanilla raised concerns regarding ADA access: "I previously brought up AD access at the planning commission meeting a while back because there's only one ADA access and I'm really concerned about that..."
o Staff Clarification on ADA Access:
▪ Staff clarified that there is an at-grade, flat ramp from the corner of Calle de la Plaza straight into the courtyard that is wheelchair accessible.
▪ There are actually two ramp accesses to the Miramar Theater site: one on the Calle de la Plaza side and one on the El Camino Real side.
▪ Regarding the stairs: Staff explained that an ADA-compliant stairway cannot be built at that specific location because stairs have ADA landing requirements (such as a flat landing at the bottom) that could not be met due to the sidewalk slope. It was always planned as a stair, not a ramp, but they cannot make the stair ADA-compliant.
▪ The committee members indicated they prefer the stairs if they were possible, but since they are not, they prefer to leave the bench as it is. The bench is considered safe and does not present a trip or falling hazard because it is the same height as the planter. Leaving the bench without a back is preferred to avoid calling extra attention to it and to prevent maintenance issues.
Larry Culbertson had a comment about the signage and how it should say “historic” Miramar theater to commemorate the historic use of the building which has now been remodeled and repurposed.
The applicant explained that they cannot change the font or color of the signage as it is the company’s color and font.
The Subcommittee forwarded the project to the Planning Commission with a few recommendations:
1. Change the font of “Miramar” to match the two existing signs at the north end of the building.
2. Add “historic” to read “Historic Miramar Theater.”
3. Add a gooseneck or other external lighting to illuminate the proposed sign.
3. NEW BUSINESS
None
4. OLD BUSINESS
None
5. ORAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
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Design Review Subcommittee Meeting Minutes August 12, 2026 Page 3 None.
6. ADJOURNMENT
It was moved to adjourn the meeting to a Design Review Subcommittee meeting on August 26, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., San Clemente City Hall, First Floor Community Room, 910 Calle Negocio, San Clemente, CA.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________________
Chair M. Steven Camp, Chair
Attest:
_______________________________
Zach Rehm, City Planner
DRAFT