Drivers and Big Sur visitors will soon gain access to more breathtaking views of the Bixby Bridge and rugged bluffs of Highway 1 along California’s central coast under a recent deal between state regulators and a Monaco billionaire to open an iconic piece of cliff-side property to the public. The California Coastal Commission and Rocky Point owner Patrice Pastor landed an agreement last month to open the 2.5-acre seaside parcel to the public in exchange for clearing violations related to unapproved construction and property changes made by the former owners.
Pastor’s real estate company, Esperanza Carmel, purchased the Big Sur property, most notably the site of the since-shuttered Rocky Point Restaurant, for $8 million in 2021 , according to the Mercury News, with plans to open a high-end 166-seat restaurant and 14-room inn with views of some of California’s most beautiful terrain. But Pastor inherited a slew of issues with the land, including investigations by the coastal commission into infrastructural changes made to the “environmentally sensitive habitat” by its former owners without approval. The owners also had limited public access to the land with “no trespassing” signs and locked gates, according to the Mercury.
The cliff-side restaurant , located about 10 miles south of the charming coastal town Carmel-by-the-Sea, boasted panoramic views of the awe-inspiring scenery along Highway 1, where visitors could “catch a glimpse of playful sea-otters, dolphin.
