Doheny Village Plan Open House Set for Thursday, Aug. 13

By Andrea Swayne

The city of Dana Point is hosting a community open house on Thursday, Aug. 13 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Capo Beach Church, 25975 Domingo Avenue, to update the public on Doheny Village Plan progress, city officials announced.

The open house is the first of a series of planning sessions scheduled to catalyze the completion of a land use plan and zoning code for upcoming development in the downtown Capistrano Beach neighborhood.

Personnel from Opticos Design, Inc., the firm hired by the city to assist with the process, will be introduced to workshop attendees. Opticos will also familiarize attendees with form-based code—a method meant to facilitate the creation of a type of neighborhood built to fulfill the community’s vision by emphasizing “building form” first and “building use” second—the type of zoning code being implemented for the project.

The steps being taken toward completion of the Doheny Village Plan will also be introduced, including the explanation of an upcoming design charrette—an intensive four-and-a-half-day collaborative planning session combining the visions of residents, business owners, city planners, city officials and designers—set for Sept. 8 through 12. The charrette will result in a plan in which designers, community members and other stakeholders have worked together as conjunct authors of the revitalization project.

Opticos will present each day’s work with the public during open design studio sessions to gather immediate feedback to be used in the crafting of a new zoning code for the area.

The charrette will conclude with Opticos sharing their work “that will lead to the actual creation of the new code on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 10 a.m.,” said Dana Point Economic Development Manager Cindy Nelson in a press release.

Opticos, she added, is at the forefront of creating form-based codes that encourage the development of pedestrian-friendly village environments and they specialize in blending “the best from the past with the innovative ideas from the present to produce contextually rich, architecturally sound and aesthetically pleasing results.”

For more information, visit www.danapoint.org or contact Nelson at 949.248.3519 or cnelson@danapoint.org.