A straight answer
Buying or borrowing in Marblehead Coastal or Sea Summit: what is different?
The direct answer
Three things. A Mello-Roos special tax from the City’s Community Facilities District No. 2006-1, homes inside the coastal zone under a Coastal Commission permit, and an association whose dues count in your housing payment. I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente. I arrange loans here.
Sea Summit is the name in use for the residential part of Marblehead Coastal, by the city’s own documents. The homes are newer than most of San Clemente: the city says the residential portion is complete with more than three hundred homes, on a plan the Coastal Commission approved in 2003. Newer construction and a master association usually make for a clean file.
I grew up here and I still live here. The Mello-Roos page explains the special tax in general; this page is about Marblehead. Based in San Clemente. Branch office in Irvine.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
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Which Marblehead this page means
The city has two Marblehead Specific Plans. Marblehead Coastal is the area the city describes as “248 acres bounded by the ocean on the west, I-5 on the east,” along Avenida Vista Hermosa, in the coastal zone. Marblehead Inland is the older area east of the freeway between Avenida Vista Hermosa and Avenida Pico. This page is about Marblehead Coastal.
The city lists a public facility named “Sea Summit at Marblehead Trail” on West Avenida Vista Hermosa, and the city’s environmental report for the outlet-center signs describes the residential use north of the outlets as “Sea Summit” and says “the residential component of the Marblehead Coastal Development is between the Project site and the ocean to the west.” That is why this page uses both names for the same homes.
The Mello-Roos district
The city’s financial report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023 lists the City’s Community Facilities District No. 2006-1 among the overlapping tax and assessment debt on property in the city, and describes that fund as recording “debt collections and debt payments related to the Marblehead development under the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act.”
The special tax is collected on the property tax bill as its own line. The amount depends on the parcel and this page states none; the bill for the specific home answers it. Fannie Mae’s selling guide counts “special assessments” in the monthly housing expense alongside taxes, insurance and association dues, so the lender enters that line and measures the total against your income.
The coastal zone and the Coastal Commission
The city’s Marblehead Coastal Specific Plan records that “on April 9, 2003, the California Coastal Commission conditionally approved the Marblehead Coastal project” and that the Commission issued Coastal Development Permit 5-03-013 for it. A Coastal Commission staff report from October 2024 describes the same site as “a 247-acre, large-scale, mixed-use development (CDP No. 5-03-013) approved by the Coastal Commission in 2003,” with public trails along the coastal bluffs.
What that means for you as an owner: the city says that until its coastal Implementation Plan is certified, development proposals in the coastal zone must also be approved by the Coastal Commission, and its Housing Element says that typically adds twelve to thirty-six months. The city’s ADU packet is blunt about it: “In the Coastal Zone, Coastal Commission approval is required,” and that approval “is required before City permits may be pursued further.” If you are financing an addition, a remodel that needs a permit, or an ADU, that timeline belongs in the plan before the loan does. A line of credit drawn in stages fits that kind of schedule better than a lump sum borrowed on day one.
The plan also records that in 1990 “the majority of the Marblehead Coastal bluff frontage along El Camino Real was recontoured under an emergency-grading permit” approved by the City and the Coastal Commission, with a portion left unstabilized by Commission requirement. The coastal rail line below has closed more than once since 2021 because of slope failures, by the county transportation authority’s account. Nothing here is a statement about any particular lot. Read your own homeowners policy: a local insurance broker’s guide notes that landslide damage is treated as earth movement and excluded from standard policies, with separate coverage available.
The association
The Specific Plan assigns maintenance of many improvements to a “Homeowner/Property Owner Association defined by adopted CC&Rs for Marblehead Coastal” and related maintenance associations. A lender counts the dues in your housing payment. For a detached home under a master association the review of the association itself is light; the dues statement is what I need.
What to bring to the first text
The property tax bill, the association dues statement, and if you own, your first mortgage statement and any second loan. If the money is for a project in the coastal zone, tell me where the permit stands. What the money is for and when you need it.
With those I can tell you what fits and what does not. If a home equity line is the tool, the keep your mortgage, get cash page shows how one works behind a first mortgage you want to leave alone, and the home improvements page shows why staged draws fit a permitted project. I work with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona, and eligibility depends on the property, your credit and your income.
Questions people ask next
Does Sea Summit have Mello-Roos?
Yes. Sea Summit is the residential part of Marblehead Coastal, by the city’s own documents, and the city’s financial report describes its Community Facilities District No. 2006-1 as recording debt payments “related to the Marblehead development under the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act.” The line appears on the property tax bill; the amount depends on the parcel.
Is Marblehead Coastal in the coastal zone?
Yes. The city’s Specific Plans page places the plan area in the coastal zone, between the ocean and I-5, and the city’s Specific Plan records the Coastal Commission’s 2003 approval and its Coastal Development Permit 5-03-013. Whether a given remodel needs Commission approval is a question for the city’s planning staff, not this page.
Can I add an ADU or an addition to a Sea Summit home?
The city’s ADU packet says that in the coastal zone “Coastal Commission approval is required” and that it “is required before City permits may be pursued further,” with an in-concept city application as the first step. The association’s rules apply separately. Plan the permit timeline first; I finance the project once you know it.
Are lenders cautious about bluff or coastal homes here?
The lender’s valuation and any insurance questions come first, and the answer depends on the lot. If your lot is on or near a bluff edge, say so in the first text, because it changes what I ask you for. The city’s plan records the recontoured bluff along El Camino Real; nothing on this page is a statement about any specific lot.
Is a newer home in Marblehead an easier file than an older one near the pier?
Usually a cleaner one. Newer construction under a master association means fewer questions about systems and condition, and the appraisal has plenty of recent sales nearby. The special tax and dues are counted in the housing payment, and that is the main difference from an older neighborhood.
Can I get a home equity line on a Marblehead home?
Yes, when the home and your file support it, with the first mortgage left exactly as it is. The keep your mortgage, get cash page explains how a line works behind an existing first mortgage.
What clients say
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Sources and checked dates
Sources: City of San Clemente, Specific Plans (checked 2026-09-26) · City of San Clemente, Marblehead Coastal Specific Plan (checked 2026-09-26) · California Coastal Commission, staff report W12d (October 2024) (checked 2026-09-26) · City of San Clemente, Sea Summit at Marblehead Trail (facilities); DSEIR section 5.3, Land Use and Planning (checked 2026-09-26) · City of San Clemente, annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal year 2023 (Orange County Auditor-Controller copy) (checked 2026-09-26) · City of San Clemente, Coastal Planning (checked 2026-09-26) · City of San Clemente, Accessory Dwelling Unit information packet (checked 2026-09-26) · OCTA: Coastal rail stabilization requires emergency action (checked 2026-09-24) · Old Harbor Insurance, homeowners insurance in San Clemente (checked 2026-09-24) · Fannie Mae selling guide, B3-6-03, Monthly Housing Expense for the Subject Property (checked 2026-09-26) · Confirmed by Zach, Sept 2026 (checked 2026-09-26) · CFPB, What is a HELOC? (checked 2026-09-27).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (13)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| The City of San Clemente lists adopted Specific Plans for Forster Ranch (about 1,982 acres in the northwest of the city), Marblehead Coastal (248 acres, ocean to I-5), Marblehead Inland (762 acres), the Pier Bowl (about 56 acres around the Municipal Pier), Rancho San Clemente (about 1,943 acres southeast of Avenida Pico), Talega (3,510 acres in the northeast) and the West Pico Corridor. | City of San Clemente, Specific Plans | 2026-09-26 |
| The City’s Marblehead Coastal Specific Plan (adopted August 5, 1998, since amended) records that “on April 9, 2003, the California Coastal Commission conditionally approved the Marblehead Coastal project” and that the Commission “issued Coastal Development Permit 5-03-013” for it; that two single-family neighborhoods, Planning Areas 2A and 2B, frame Marblehead Canyon; that in 1990 “the majority of the Marblehead Coastal bluff frontage along El Camino Real was recontoured under an emergency-grading permit” approved by the City and the Coastal Commission; and that maintenance responsibilities fall to a “Homeowner/Property Owner Association defined by adopted CC&Rs for Marblehead Coastal” and related maintenance associations. | City of San Clemente, Marblehead Coastal Specific Plan | 2026-09-26 |
| A California Coastal Commission staff report dated October 2024 describes the Marblehead site as “a 247-acre, large-scale, mixed-use development (CDP No. 5-03-013) approved by the Coastal Commission in 2003,” with Commission-approved public trails along the coastal bluffs inland of El Camino Real. | California Coastal Commission, staff report W12d (October 2024) | 2026-09-26 |
| The City of San Clemente lists a public facility named “Sea Summit at Marblehead Trail” on West Avenida Vista Hermosa, and the City’s draft supplemental environmental impact report for the outlet-center signs describes the residential use north of the outlets as “Sea Summit” and says “the residential component of the Marblehead Coastal Development is between the Project site and the ocean to the west.” | City of San Clemente, Sea Summit at Marblehead Trail (facilities); DSEIR section 5.3, Land Use and Planning | 2026-09-26 |
| The city’s annual comprehensive financial report (City of San Clemente, fiscal year ended June 30, 2023) lists, among overlapping tax and assessment debt, Santa Margarita Water District Community Facilities District No. 99-1, Capistrano Unified School District Community Facilities District No. 90-2, the City’s Community Facilities District No. 99-1 and the City’s Community Facilities District No. 2006-1. It describes the 2006-1 fund as recording “debt collections and debt payments related to the Marblehead development under the Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act,” and says Talega, “a planned community annexed into the City from the County of Orange,” reached “build-out in FY 2015.” | City of San Clemente, annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal year 2023 (Orange County Auditor-Controller copy) | 2026-09-26 |
| The same city financial report says: “The City’s last undeveloped area, Marblehead Coastal, is mostly developed. The residential portion of the development is complete with more than 300 housing units.” | City of San Clemente, annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal year 2023 (Orange County Auditor-Controller copy) | 2026-09-26 |
| The city says its Coastal Zone “generally extends inland to Interstate 5 and includes five miles of coastline”; its Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan was certified on August 10, 2018 and the Implementation Plan was still in development as of the page’s last update. The Housing Element notes that until the Implementation Plan is certified, development proposals within the Coastal Zone must also be approved by the California Coastal Commission, which it says typically adds 12 to 36 months. | City of San Clemente, Coastal Planning | 2026-09-26 |
| The City of San Clemente Accessory Dwelling Unit information packet says: “In the Coastal Zone, Coastal Commission approval is required. As a first step, you submit a City application online for an in-concept at this link. Following approval, you submit an application to the Coastal Commission. Coastal Commission approval is required before City permits may be pursued further.” It says a deed restriction must be recorded that “ensures ADUs are rented 30 days or longer, and cannot be sold separately from the primary residence,” and that “if a property is part of a Homeowners’ Association, you do not need HOA approval for City permits.” | City of San Clemente, Accessory Dwelling Unit information packet | 2026-09-26 |
| The Orange County Transportation Authority reported in March 2025 that the coastal rail line through San Clemente had been closed for more than a year in total since 2021 because of slope failures, named four vulnerable areas, and described state and federal grants for stabilization work. The April 2023 landslide below Casa Romantica shut Metrolink service. | OCTA: Coastal rail stabilization requires emergency action | 2026-09-24 |
| A San Clemente insurance broker’s guide states that a landslide is treated as earth movement and is excluded from standard homeowners policies, with coverage available through separate difference-in-conditions policies. | Old Harbor Insurance, homeowners insurance in San Clemente | 2026-09-24 |
| Fannie Mae’s selling guide, section B3-6-03 (12/16/2020), defines the monthly housing expense for the subject property, called PITIA, as the sum of principal and interest, property, flood and mortgage insurance premiums, real estate taxes, ground rent, special assessments, owners’ association dues, monthly co-op corporation fees and subordinate financing payments, and says lenders must enter these components on the loan application for qualification. | Fannie Mae selling guide, B3-6-03, Monthly Housing Expense for the Subject Property | 2026-09-26 |
| Zach von der Linden says he moved to San Clemente at age 5 and grew up there, that he still lives there, and that a large share of the loans he does are for San Clemente homeowners. | Confirmed by Zach, Sept 2026 | 2026-09-26 |
| The CFPB describes a HELOC as an open-end line of credit for borrowing repeatedly against home equity, says draw and repayment periods vary, and warns that falling behind could cost you your home. | CFPB, What is a HELOC? | 2026-09-27 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-09-27.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.
Two ways to take the next step
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