Reinventing San Clemente : City is poised to benefit from a potentially trying transformation

For many years, San Clemente has been for many in Orange County a distant point on the southern map, a place associated with the presidency of Richard Nixon and a benchmark for motorists traversing the vast terrain between Los Angeles and San Diego.

Perhaps quiet and somewhat unassuming and friendly is the way many people have liked it over the years. When John Berges announced recently that he was closing his men’s store after 38 years on Avenida del Mar, the heart of the downtown area, he said, “You don’t come here to make a lot of money; you come here to live here.”

With changes such as the closure of the store, with the shuttering of the local “five and dime” also, the future remains a big question mark for many along this coastal city’s commercial strip. David N. Lund, the city’s director of economic development, notes the anxiety accompanying change and asserts, “What you are seeing is a lot of change on the street in terms of new investment.” He and others are justifiably positive about the future, especially as new families move in.

San Clemente is poised to realize a benefit from its profound transformation. However, change will test the ingenuity and planning skill of local residents and leaders.

One does not have to look far to see that significant developments in the regional infrastructure could bring an important benefit for an area that is blessed with proximity to the ocean and a favorable climate. In 1995, San Clemente became the 10th stop on the 87-mile commuter railroad route between Oceanside and Los Angeles. That event was signaled with the opening of a new train station, where residents could park and ride round-trip to Union Station. Residents also have access to work centers of Orange County.

The recent opening of the San Joaquin Hills tollway corridor has reduced dramatically the time it takes to get from the far reaches of the county’s southern border to jobs in Irvine, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and other commercial centers.

The reinvention of San Clemente is taking place amid a new self-consciousness for South County in general. These are interesting times. Change, if carefully managed, can be a harbinger of good things.