Staff editorial comment
Transportation: another rubber stamp commission?

On the agenda for the Jan. 3 council meeting, Councilman Frank Ury is proposing to create a new commission by separating responsibilities of the Planning and Transportation Commission. If the council approves, one commission would pertain to planning issues, and a second commission would address transportation issues.

A major cause of traffic problems is homebuilding to the east of the city with resulting cut-through traffic, and 14,000 new homes have been approved as part of the ranch plan. As another problem, Ury is among council majority members who approved the high-density housing project on the former Kmart site, bringing in more residents with more cars.

To solve problems, Mission Viejo needs real leadership to deal with regional issues regarding homebuilding and cut-through traffic. Does anyone think Trish Kelley is capable of such leadership? Her contribution could be a new word of the month, “carpool.” As for Lance MacLean, no one expects he will do anything but raise cash for his next campaign. MacLean’s word for every month is “fundraising.”

Mission Viejo had the chance to get a real solution regarding the ranch plan. Instead, Kelley appointed Ury and MacLean to yet another of her ad hoc committees, and the two councilmen went off to “negotiate” with the ranch out of public view. The city had sued to get traffic solutions, with costs ranging from $45 million to $75 million for mitigation measures. Ury and MacLean congratulated themselves, with Kelley adding her usual superlatives, for enabling the ranch to proceed for $18 million, which was unacceptable and not even close to funding a solution.

The council caved in again by approving the Land Rover/Jaguar dealership’s location, which prevented the state’s plan to expand the Avery freeway exit. As a result, the ranch traffic will go through Mission Viejo instead of around it. Thus far, the council’s only response to cut-through traffic is to widen roads. The widening projects continue to fall far behind the burgeoning growth to the east.

Finally, the council must stop approving additional housing if it intends to address traffic problems. Kelley, MacLean, Ury and Ledesma approved the housing project on the former Kmart site, with Reavis dissenting. Another developer, Steadfast, is handing out cash to council members. Would anyone like to predict the outcome for Steadfast’s proposed housing next to Unisys?

Many Mission Viejo residents are ignoring the council as the personality conflicts evolve from disgusting to boring. Residents may have decided the city will survive regardless of what the council does – the Christmas decorations were nice, and the medians are attractively manicured.

The problems, however, aren’t going away. Traffic will get worse, and developers will continue to pay off council members for approving miserable ideas. In January 2005, Kelley, MacLean and Ury dismantled a competent planning commission and appointed three rubber-stamp commissioners to approve more high-density housing. What’s Ury’s agenda for transportation? He has clearly failed to lead, except in making matters worse. With the city already locked in with bad council decisions, which lobbyist, consultant or contractor is in line to be paid off by creating a rubber-stamp transportation commission?