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Wednesday, Apr 15, 2026

Athens Outlines Aliso Creek Plans

The Athens Group plans to redesign an existing nine-hole golf course and build a Craftsman-style hotel and up to 50 condominiums on the site of the Aliso Creek Inn and Golf Course.

The developer of the Montage Hotel & Resort plans to unveil its plans for the redevelopment of the Aliso Creek Inn and Golf Course on Wednesday.

The company has scaled back initial plans to build an 18-hole golf course on the site after running into heavy resistance from environmentalists and some lawmakers.

The new plan calls for a hotel with 90 to 95 rooms, with an additional 11 residential lots on the parcel known as Driftwood Estates still expected.

The plan will be submitted for approval in early 2006, according to Athens Group vice president of development John Mansour.

The company anticipates the hotel wouldn’t open before 2010, depending on how long it takes to get necessary approvals, including that of the California Coastal Commission.

By 2013, the company projects sales tax, property tax and transient occupancy tax revenue from the project to grow from an existing $890,000 annually to more than $6 million, using current tax rates.

Martyn Hoffmann, director of forward planning for Athens Group, said the company also plans to address a trio of environmental issues in its plan.

Those issues include: establishing a trail connection to Aliso and Woods Canyon Wilderness Park, rebuilding the new resort above a 100-year flood plain and introducing water quality-related systems to protect Aliso Creek.

Though Montage Hotels & Resorts is expected to operate the new hotel, Hoffman said it’s possible that another operator would be tapped if the final approved project does not fit the Montage brand.

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