Referendum Set on Luxury Resort Proposal

LAGUNA BEACH — After several years of wrangling among the property owner, the city and its residents, plans to redevelop the Treasure Island mobile home park into a luxury resort have hit another delay: Opponents have gathered enough signatures on a petition to force a public vote.

The Laguna Beach City Council, which backs the high-priced hotel proposal, agreed Tuesday to set April 27 as the date for the referendum.

For nearly two years, city officials have lobbied the community to support the plan, which consists of a 275-room hotel and 18 homes on estate-sized lots.

Environmentalists in Laguna Beach have long said that development would crowd the 30-acre property and that several homes should be eliminated from the plan. Talks between Treasure Island Associates and the opponents have been going on for months, but they cannot seem to agree, both sides said.