After much debate, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney will now be able to move forward with his plans to completely reconstruct his family’s La Jolla home.
The California Coastal Commission met Friday to discuss the decision to allow Romney to renovate his home in San Diego’s seaside community of La Jolla.
For quite some time, Romney’s approved renovation plans were appealed and on hold.
However, after much debate and a public comment session, the Coastal Commission voted Friday to allow the home improvement project to move forward.
Romney’s attorney, Matt Peterson, said he was thrilled with the decision on Friday.
“My clients are very pleased. It’s been a very long process,” said Peterson. “They’re looking forward to building a home where they can have their children and grandchildren out to visit during the summers.”
The major home improvement project includes completely tearing down Romney’s current 3,000-square-foot beachfront property and rebuilding a home that is more than three times the size.
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In fact, the new 11,000-square-foot home will include a basement that will have more square footage than the entire original home itself.
Though Peterson is pleased with the decision, opponent Tony Ciani sees the project as a problem.
Initially, Ciani appealed the approval of Romney’s development plans to the California Coastal Commission, arguing that there are a number of problems with the proposal.
For one, Ciani says the Romney’s claim to own the actual beach area in front of their home. By inflating the size of their lot, they could build a much bigger home that would change the character of the community. Ciani is also concerned about public access to the beach.
However, supporters of Romney say the claims are not true.
Still, Ciani believes the decision to allow the project to move forward sets a bad precedent.
“It’s going to tell people you don’t have to read the title. It’s going to change the development on the coastline,” Ciani told NBC 7 San Diego.
The Romneys were a no-show at Friday’s meeting.
With Friday’s gathering, the California Coastal Commission is concluding a three-day meeting in Mission Valley.
On Thursday, the Commission made a major decision on the highly-debated plan to expand the San Diego Convention Center, ultimately approving the proposal.
