Not only will Mitt Romney's proposed new beach house have a 3,600-square-foot basement, it will have a split-level four-car garage … with an elevator for the cars. Politico procured the 2008 plans for the renovation (by way of a rival campaign), which involves tearing down the existing California mansion and replacing it with something much bigger. So will the finished product be quadruple the size of the current mansion or just double? Politico calls it "more than three times larger."
The renovation will keep the existing lap pool, which faces the ocean, but will add a "water feature" and an outdoor shower. To help get the plan approved, Romney has also hired a local attorney to act as a lobbyist, and has paid him $21,500 since 2008. It could be years before the plans are approved, according to a project manager in San Diego’s Development Services Department; other officials say Romney faces a number of routine logistical issues. The Romneys also own a lake house in New Hampshire and a Massachusetts condo. (More San Diego stories.)