Huntington Beach is dubbed Surf City. Dana Point has its rich surf history. San Clemente is known for its buffet of world-class waves.

But could Orange County’s next hot surf spot be inland in a town known for its agricultural and equestrian heritage?

A proposal was presented on Friday, April 15, for what would be the region’s first man-made wave pool, a vision to transform San Juan Capistrano’s Northwest Open Space into a surf-meets-western hub that would also have equestrian centers and learn-to-ride programs, a public pool free to residents, a café in a historic home, an events center and more.

The Northwest Open Space is a 65.5-acre, largely undeveloped property bought by the city in the 1990s with money raised by the sale of bonds approved by voters with the purpose of acquiring more open space.

The city recently accepted proposals for how the land could be utilized. Seven were received, but City Hall is not yet releasing the proposals to the public; the City Council is expected to be briefed later this month, Senior Management Analyst Matisse Reischl said.

Any future potential use of the property would require city approvals and got through the community review process.

But San Juan Capistrano-based Pacifico Development presented its proposal for what’s being dubbed Olas Ranch – olas is Spanish for waves – to the public during a “Coffee & Chat” gathering at Hennessey’s Tavern on Friday.

Harrison Taylor, Pacifico’s vice president of real estate and development, talked about how the idea for the project evolved.

“We know it’s a new concept we’re introducing to the community, but we hope they see the value in it and get excited about the opportunity for the community,” he said.

The company first looked into building a community aquatic center, since San Juan Capistrano does not have one, but to fund it – and to make it free to the public – Taylor said they had to get creative and started looking into wave pools, which have gained in popularity around the world in recent years.

Currently, there’s four planned in the Palm Desert region using various technologies, two that would be open to the public and two private. In California, there’s only Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch near Fresno open now, but that costs tens of thousands to rent out.

The most popular wave pool in the U.S. is Waco Surf in Texas, now a popular destination for surf travelers, many who visit from wave-rich Orange County.

For Taylor, who lives in San Juan Capistrano and is a surfer, Slater’s Surf Ranch was part of the inspiration for the proposal. He recalled the feeling he had when the surf champion first unveiled the pool to the public about six years ago.

“Seeing that video of this wave, this amazing man-made wave in some undisclosed location in California, it was so exciting for so many surfers and so many non-surfers. I remember seeing that, that’s what opened my eyes to this world,” he said. “The vision started years ago, this seed planted. Our whole team at Pacifico dug into it and studied it. We’ve looked at all the different technologies.”

While Slater’s is arguably the best man-made wave out there, this pool would not use that technology due to cost and size. What technology would be used would be figured out later if the city adopted Pacifico’s proposal.

“We want to have something that is affordable, for people to come out for an hour and it’s not going to break the bank,” Taylor said.

The USA Surf Team, based in San Clemente, has given its endorsement, telling city leaders it could be the official training center for potential future Olympians.

Pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, who recently moved from San Clemente to San Juan Capistrano, showed up at the Coffee & Chat show support for the idea.

“I think it’s super rad. Being here in San Juan, even though we are close to the ocean –  we are close to Dana Point, we are close to San Clemente –  to have our own thing here would be super awesome,” he said.

Skate and surf have a lot of benefits for kids, being outside, providing environments where they can push themselves, and most importantly, learning to fail and get back up, Sheckler said.

And with the sport’s recent introduction to the world stage at Olympics, many parents are opening up to the once counter-culture sports, he said.

“It will never be the same as the ocean, but it’s an alternative,” Sheckler said, comparing wave pools to skate parks. “It’s the first time surf has been able to be like a skatepark. It’s always the same wave, so you can practice the same move.”

Jillian Stewart, director and founder of Surf and Turf, a nonprofit that uses equine and surf therapy for children with special needs, said the aquatic center, surf pool and proposal for an equestrian center for her group would be a dream come true.

While the beach is great, it has challenges. In the ocean, rain can cancel classes because many of her kids have weak immune systems. In the summer, the crowds make it dangerous to be in the water.

“It’s just such a safe environment,” she said of the wave pool’s predictable and controlled nature. “I just want access for everybody. Beach wheelchairs can be difficult. Having this place we can park close, get access right away, and if there is an emergency knowing we can easily and safely get to the individual is huge as well.”

Mo Miscione, who grew up in San Juan Capistrano and joined the community chat, asked the developer if they considered water impacts.

Taylor said the group has met with Rancho Santa Margarita Water District officials, who proposed several water conservation ideas such as extending a reclaimed water line down to the property and using the site as a ground water recharge location. They could also install a reverse osmosis system that would purify reclaimed water to make it drinkable, surfable and swimmable, Taylor said.

Not everyone was happy with the proposal. One attendee called the project “completely inappropriate,” saying when supporting the bond measure the community didn’t vote for a commercial venture serving thousands of people at a time, but rather quiet open space.

When the city announced earlier this year that proposals for possibly leasing parts of the open space would be considered, preservationists and descendants of the early Acjachemen people who first populated the area expressed concern use of the property would not honor the cultural significance of the site or the desire of voters to keep the property as passive open space.

Taylor talked about other aspects of the plan. The historic Swanner House would be beautified and used as a café.  An organic farm would be carved out near an events center and there is envisioned a community seating area for the public to hang out.

“Our hope is that more people come out to this site, maybe they come out to swim and they get exposed to surfing, maybe they come to surf and they get exposed to equestrian,” Taylor said.

The plan also proposes adding three acres to the recently completed Putuidem Village, which pays homage to Acjachemen tribes who once lived on the land. The developer would like to add a pond and river to the park, as well as community seating and a restroom.

If city leaders were to support the proposal and it made its way through the approval process, the wave pool and entire area could be open by October 2025, its planners estimate.

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