The San Clemente zoning administrator on Oct. 9 approved a second short‑term apartment rental permit for the Riley family’s property at 222 West Escalones (with an associated address at 221 West Canada), subject to a revised condition requiring the STAR operations to occur on a single lot and prohibiting future subdivision that would separate the manager’s unit from the STAR unit.

Principal Planner Rheem described the application (public hearing project 25‑298; STAR 25‑311) as a three‑unit configuration on a larger through lot of about 6,219 square feet, where one of the three units is proposed for short‑term rental and a manager’s unit would remain on site. Rheem said the unit proposed for STAR use is a larger three‑bedroom unit (two and a half baths) and that the applicant requested a maximum guest count of six, below the code‑allowed maximum of eight for a three‑bedroom unit.

Rheem noted nearby STAR/STLU rights and the amortization timeline: an existing STLU at 232 West Mariposa is operating under the amortization period and, unless that other unit ceases operations, the amortization condition would likely remain in effect until May 17, 2026. Rheem said the project meets operating and development standards and staff recommended exemption under CEQA and approval.

Applicant Louis James Riley III told the zoning administrator his family has operated the properties for 13 years and described routine maintenance and onsite management practices. During questioning, Matamian raised whether the parcel is composed of multiple assessor lots under a single APN and noted city GIS sometimes shows parcel lines; Matamian expressed concern that separate legal lots could be sold later and create a situation where the STAR unit would be separated from the manager’s unit.

To address that concern, Matamian added a new condition of approval (new condition 7.2) requiring that STAR operations at 222 West Escalones occur on a single lot that includes the portion of the building at 221 West Canada. The condition requires merging lots if multiple parcel lines exist or, as Matamian later clarified, states any future subdivision separating 222 West Escalones from 221 West Canada will render the permit permanently null and void.

After visiting the site from the public right of way and reviewing findings in the staff report, Matamian found the project exempt under CEQA (Class 1) and adopted the resolution (recorded in the hearing record as CA 205‑252 / project 25‑298 / STAR 25‑311 per staff language) approving the project with the modified conditions of approval. Matamian noted the 10‑day appeal period and directed staff to provide the applicant with the final written condition and signed resolution.