News for Dana Point - and Real Estate market update

So if you were thinking on coming to Dana Point to check out some homes... here's a nice event that it's worth checking out. Southern California's summer tourists may have come and gone, but this winter a different type of tourist will be traveling along the West Coast and heading to Baja during its annual migration: the majestic California Gray Whale. The whales will begin their migration in late November, but from March 5 - 6 and 12 -13 2011, hundreds of these 35-ton leviathans will splash through the seaside community of Dana Point, California, at the Dana Point Festival of Whales, which happens to have it's 40th anniversary!.

Bring the kids, family and friends and get really up-close and personal with herds of dolphin up to 5,000 strong and migrating Gray Whales. Captain Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Safari will take you aboard a high-speed, high-tech catamaran sailboat for an educational and incredibly exciting and educational experience.
You’ll see and hear the animals too, with an underwater camera and research hydrophone while an experienced marine naturalist including Captain Dave Anderson, whose award winning film on Wild Dolphins & Whales has drawn people worldwide to Dana Point, explain how these animals live. See and touch our incredible collection of whale and dolphin artifacts. Mrs. Capt. Dave’s famous triple fudge brownies are served complimentary on every safari.
There's also plenty of whale watching tours, make sure to book in advance.
For more information on this event, please visit http://danapointwhalewatching.com/festival-of-whales/
If you happen to be in town and would like to check out some homes, or talk about your real estate investment in Dana Point, please drop us a line at www.ochomebuyer.com

Another reason to buy a home in Dana Point: RH Dana Elementary School Earns Awards

When it comes to your Dana Point real estate investments, families always have to do their homework when it comes to the schools. Finding the right home for you and your family is always a hard task, and one important factor that you should always consider is the school district that your home will belong to, and the assigned public school your kids will be attending if you decide to enroll them in public education.

Well, here's some news for the Dana Point area regarding this matter, RH Dana not only was rated 1 in the Disctrict by the OCRegister, but won the very important National Blue Ribbon award.

Jan 17, 2011:

R.H. Dana Elementary School was rated No. 1 in the Capistrano Unified School District and received its second consecutive gold-medal ranking in The Orange County Register's annual evaluation of the county's public elementary schools.

The Register evaluated 383 public elementary schools in Orange County, including 37 in Capistrano Unified. It honored 27 schools with gold medals, 63 with silver and 56 with bronze, based on standardized test scores, track records of academic excellence, steady improvement or sudden renaissance.
Here's how this school in Dana Point fared:
R.H. DANA ELEMENTARY
Medal: gold
District rank: 1 (up from 4 last year)
County rank: 23 (up from 44 last year)

This school also had recently received the National Blue Ribbon School Award. The distinction was awarded to 304 schools nationwide this year. Two local schools received the distinction: R.H. Dana Elementary in Dana Point and Capistrano Valley Christian Schools in San Juan Capistrano.

According to the Department of Education news release, the award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools whose students achieve at very high levels or have made significant progress and helped close gaps in achievement especially among disadvantaged and minority students. Each year since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education has sought out schools where students attain and maintain high academic goals, including those that beat the odds. Awards are granted based on one of two criteria: 1) Schools whose students, regardless of backgrounds, are high performing. These are schools ranked among the state’s highest performing schools as measured by their performance on state assessments or in the case of private schools, that score at the highest performance level on tests referenced by national norms in at least the most recent year tested; and 2) Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that improve student performance to high levels as measured by the school’s performance on state assessments or nationally-normed tests.

Read more: Dana Point Times - Local Schools Earn National Blue Ribbon Award

Dana Point Real Estate News: Dana Point Harbor Renovation!

More than a decade ago, we've been hearing about the California Coastal Commission's plan to renovate the Dana Point Harbor.
In the past days, we've heard that there's finally good news on the approval, which means great news for the Dana Point Real Estate market, Dana Point homeowners and for the public in general.
Here's an extract from the OCRegister on Jan 13, 2011.
---
DANA POINT – Following about two dozen speakers and an hours-long hearing, the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday evening approved details finalizing the blueprint for future landside development in this city's harbor.
Among revisions to the final plans, the commission asked that any trees removed from the harbor be replaced with double that number and that future building heights be consistent with the community character within the harbor and within half a mile of the harbor.

"I think it's a victory for the homeowners and victory for the boaters," Bruce Heyman of Boaters for Dana Point Harbor said after the commission's vote. His group had concerns about future building heights in the area arguing that an intensification of development would reduce boating resources in the harbor.
Members of the group Dana Point Harbor Now had expected to take about 45 people by bus to the Wednesday hearing.
"I am excited to get it approved," Jim Miller, a merchant in the harbor, said before the meeting. "This is another major step in the journey. Before I see a shovel in the ground, we got a few more steps to go."
The approval capped a more than decade-long process with the commissioners certifying the second half of the proposed project, called the implementation plan, containing the details of land use regulations and development standards for the harbor.
The final vote on the item at the commission's Long Beach meeting garnered applause from those in the audience. The meeting was believed to be the 150th on the subject held at various levels of government involving many stakeholders over the years.
In October, commissioners effectively certified the first half of the harbor revamp document that sets the blueprint for development. The action came more than a year after the panel approved Orange County's proposed harbor revitalization.
In 2009, the panel green lighted the harbor renovation plan when it accepted the sweeping land-use amendment that sets the standard for all future landside development in the harbor with suggested modifications. The biggest changes to the proposal involved the number of boat slips, parking and shipyard size.
Overhauling the 276.8-acre harbor has been on the county's to-do list for about a decade, and it has held about 130 public meetings on the plan and spent about $15.4 million in preparation costs. When construction on the planned $140 million overhaul will actually begin is unclear at this point.
Supporters and opponents spoke at the Long Beach meeting, with some on both sides saying before the hearing that they hoped for approval and moving on to the next step.
To see details of the implementation plan, visit danapoint.org or go to the commission's agenda at www.coastal.ca.gov/mtgcurr.html.