Laguna Niguel : Coast Panel Vote Due on Resort Hotel Plan

A 550-room resort hotel planned for construction on the 550-acre Monarch Beach development in Laguna Niguel will come before the Coastal Commission today for a public hearing and vote.

The resort hotel is part of a massive development by the Laguna Niguel-based Stein-Brief Group, which purchased Monarch Beach from Avco Community Developers Inc. for $80 million in 1983. In addition to the hotel, which will be built near the Ritz-Carlton luxury hotel, the company plans to eventually build 3,400 homes, a shopping center and a private health club. Company officials have estimated that at the time of completion--about seven years hence--the development will be worth at least $1 billion.

John Leslie, a Coastal Commission planner, said that a possible condition of approval for the project would be a commitment on the company’s part to open at least 50% of Monarch Beach’s amenities to the public.