Regarding Patt Healy’s letter on Forge Lodge, it seems to be common knowledge that Mr. Forge is planning to sell out once he gets his permits and we will have some unknown person building and running Forge Lodge. “Mr. Forge’s Dream” will more likely be “Mr. Forge’s ticket out of town.” I am deeply concerned that the Planning Commission didn’t take greater steps to protect the community in their decision to grant him permits. The 28 hotel suites were portrayed as a quiet bed and breakfast in the woods with no impact on traffic. No one looked at the fact that the combined restaurant and 28 suites make this a more desirable wedding site. It is probable that a new owner will turn it into a wedding/convention facility, which will bring traffic, loud late-night music and pollution. Once approved by the council, there will be nothing to stop this use. BeauRivage can accommodate 200 for a wedding. If successful, one wedding Friday night, two on Saturday and two on Sunday could potentially bring 1,000 guests. The plan calls for a new septic to handle the 28 suites but I see nothing additional for the restaurant. Mr. Forge has had septic problems in the past, something very unpleasant for the neighbors. The existing septic is close to Solstice Creek. No one has addressed potential septic overload and whether it will affect the children who come from all over Los Angeles to play in the creek where it empties onto the beach. Shouldn’t we be a little more concerned about protecting their health and safety?
The PCH/Corral Canyon intersection is a nightmare of close calls and accidents, made worse by summer beachgoers. Forge Lodge doesn’t have sufficient parking. Where will patrons for an afternoon wedding park when the beachgoers have taken all the spaces on the highway and what larger traffic mess will they cause in their search for parking? We did not get a traffic signal nor did we get a crosswalk for pedestrian safety. Mr. Forge’s $50,000 guarantees us nothing. The Forges are lovely and hard working people but that should not exempt them from the scrutiny and responsibility we would subject any other developer to. This project is not a B and B, it is a hotel which exceeds what zoning allows on this site. I am asking that this project be denied. I believe it poses many long-term problems for neighbors and the rest of the community, which have not been adequately addressed.
Theresa Tuchman