SOLANA BEACH -- Solana Beach City Council members want to know who keeps tearing down their story poles.

City officials Friday offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the identification of vandals who knocked down the poles, which had been erected along the eastern side of Highway 101 to show the size of the proposed Gateway hotel.

The poles accurately outlined the height and floor plans of the buildings proposed for the 3 1/2-acre site at the northern entrance to Solana Beach at the edge of the San Elijo Lagoon.

Developments proposed for the site have been controversial since before the city was formed 20 years ago. Opponents say any hotel would block ocean view and beach access. Proponents say it would provide much-needed tax revenue.

The poles had been erected at least twice before in recent years, and vandals tore them down each time.

"It's a shame that they get knocked down," Councilman Dave Roberts said Friday. "It's such a key piece of land we need to see the visual impact."

The developer of the property, Phoenix-based Avenue Communities, paid to put up the poles in 2004.

This time, officials said, the city paid for the poles -- about $9,000 -- and they were torn down about Dec. 7 just days after they were installed.

The developer is required to put up the so-called story poles for any project taller than 16 feet. The latest version of the Gateway project is less than 16 feet tall, and the developer, knowing the history of the site, declined to erect them again.

But the City Council, saying it understands how important the project is to many residents, agreed to shoulder the expense.

Lori Naylor, the city's principal planner, said in December that the poles are costly because they require a lot of labor, including surveying and certification.

The Gateway project, which at one time was to be an eight-story hotel, now calls for 30 single-story "condotels" -- a cross between condominiums and hotel rooms -- with a clubhouse, an outdoor pool and a spa.

Each unit would be owned individually like a condominium, but rented out most of the year like a hotel room.

Anyone with information about the vandalism should call the Sheriff's Department at (760) 966-3500, or the Solana Beach city manager's office at (858) 720-2431.

Contact staff writer Phil Diehl at (760) 943-2314 or pdiehl@nctimes.com.