For decades, people on Ingraham street passing by Mission Bay's Paradise Point resort having been driving by under the mistaken impression that the 44-acre site was private and off-limits to the public, despite it having been built on city-owned land and subject to the same public-access beach policies the rest of the California coastline is.
Now, though, the owners of Paradise Point resort in Mission Bay may soon have to pay a million dollar fine for violating the California Coastal Act for decades. The California Coastal Commission claims the property has been suppressing public access to the coastline, as well as public parking and a beach located by the resort, according to a recently released staff report.
"It’s just a great little gem – a hidden gem I call it," San Diegan April Gleed told NBC 7 on Sunday.
The beach by Paradise Point resort, tucked away on the resort's edge, is what Gleed is talking about.
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"This strip of beach is kind of like our quiet piece of heaven in San Diego that not a lot of people know about," Gleed added.
The owners of the Paradise Point Resort have been in negotiations with the state to rectify the situation.
“We have reached a tentative settlement with the owners of the resort,” California Coastal Commission Chief of Enforcement Lisa Haage said in a statement to NBC 7.
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According to the coastal commission, that's due, in part, to the development that has occurred on land the resort leases from the city, including installing a guard kiosk and the dining furniture blocking public access to a pathway.
Haage said a five-step solution, agreed to by both parties, is being proposed to rectify the situation.
- Comply with the current lease
- Raise awareness about public access by installing more than 70 public access signs
- Installing new public amenities to mitigate lost public access
- A $1 million penalty paid to a violation remediation fund, along with additional fees
- A marine debris reduction program
Gleed said she has never been stopped from accessing the beach next to the resort but she knows of people that have been questioned.
"I don’t remember having any issues with anybody asking me to leave or asking why I’m here or giving me a hard time about it, but I have friends that have said people have asked them why they are here," Gleed said. "But nobody has ever said anything to me like, 'You can’t be here,' as long as we’ve stayed on the shore and not on the resort property, then it’s perfect."
Although Gleed wants the beach to remain a hidden gem, she said it’s important for the public to know that they have access to it.
"It’s kind of bittersweet for me because I’ve been coming here for so long knowing that it is a public beach but great for other people that might be able to take advantage it and know that they can come here and enjoy it as well," Gleed said.
The coastal commission will have to come to an agreement regarding Paradise Point during or after its Sept. 6 meeting.
