What's next for Capo Beach?

3 year old Lexi looks out to sea from what's left of the doomed boardwalk. What will be left when she's 13?

Beach residents learned this week that their popular basketball court, opened to the public in 1980, is a goner. The court is in bad shape – buckled at the edge and worn out from constant scraping by heavy equipment needed to clean up, lately, weekly incursion of sand and cobble. With infrastructure ripped away, chasing a ball out of bounds would mean a sharp, nasty fall to the surf below. People are mourning the loss of their court on social media, one poster calling it “#bestbasketballcourtever”.

Removing the court means the restrooms (along with sewer lines) will be stranded with no protection, so they’re going too. White arrows and large “Demo” markings on concrete confirm the loss of infrastructure locals and visitors have enjoyed for the last four decades. County officials estimate demolition work will start in the next two to three weeks.

What happens next? No one knows, for certain, since even County officials are unsure of what they’ll find under the pavement and concrete. Equally uncertain is what steps will be needed to excavate what they find and replace it with a sandy and hopefully, safer and wider beach.

In some ways, demolition may be more like an archaeological dig than a standard excavation. Chunks of etched concrete decking, shards of terra cotta roofing tiles and apparent swimming pool coping have been showing up on the beach for months now. It’s believed these are remnants from the historic Capistrano Beach Club (renamed the “Capistrano Beachcombers Club” in the 1950s.)

This beachfront treasure graced the shoreline from the mid 1920s to 1969 when, after years of neglect, it was demolished. Historical records show that the Olympic size swimming pool was filled with sand and lays buried under the parking lot today.

Even more interesting are the rusted vintage car parts that were exposed when the boardwalk collapsed. Salvaged cars were apparently filled with cement and used as landfill when a new sea wall was constructed in 1965.

Once the damaged sidewalks, court and restrooms are removed, residents are hopeful that a restored beach will replace what was lost. The County will be holding information meetings soon where residents will be encouraged to weigh in on what’s next for their much loved beach. Some who contacted local advocacy group, Capo Cares, have expressed hopes for hardy but attractive landscaping, a return of the beloved fire pits, and maybe volley ball nets or a small, shaded playground area for kids. Most of all, they’d love to see a replica of the much mourned boardwalk -- a new pathway safely removed from the relentless Pacific.

The bigger question is: what will protect a possible new boardwalk and the remaining parking lot from constant sand and cobble incursion? Will the Coastal Commission permit some kind of barrier to keep the sand on the beach side of the path, saving the County and taxpayers constant and expensive clean up? Is an ecologically sensitive sand dune feasible, and if so, is there enough room on this narrow lot?

Will the CCC want parking to promote "public access" via parking spots or will they favor more beach? Residents point out that Dana Point’s trolley system, expanded and extended through 2024 thanks to a recent OCTA grant, will be providing ample, free public access without sacrificing precious beach real estate. Besides, they say, locals will continue to get to the beach the old fashioned way—riding their bikes and walking their dogs down from the Palisades to enjoy the vistas from their beleaguered but still cherished Capistrano Beach.

Note: Local advocacy group Capo Cares is inviting residents to join their efforts to restore the beach. You can join their mailing list by registering at www.capocares.com or emailing them at capocares@gmail.com. For regular updates on this issue Capo Cares invites you to LIKE their page at www.Facebook.com/capocares.