Edifica Residence, 116 El Levante

A 34-year resident who loves San Clemente's Spanish look said the developer walked away from the approved plans and is now proposing a glass-and-steel 'McMansion' that could pave the way for ten mismatched mansions and eyesores.

Said being across the street doesn't make the modern design compatible, and 7,500 square feet is simply too big next to homes mostly 4,000 square feet or less.

The former Cotton Hill Action Committee chairman said residents made a deal with the city and developer decades ago and this project breaks it; he questioned the height math, view blockage, drainage, and parking, and urged the commission to send it back to the drawing board.

Lives across the canyon looking directly at the rear of the lot, says he was never notified, and argued the 1966 topo map used for the height limit is a 'fantasy map' — by his math the house is really about 52 feet tall, far over the 25-foot limit.