The Buzz Column, June 13

City Hall documents confirm UDR/Pacific is trying to sell the parcel on east Los Alisos, the former Kmart site. The council on Sept. 19, 2005, approved (4-1, Reavis dissenting) a zone change from commercial to residential, providing UDR/Pacific with a dramatic increase in property value. The housing plan approved by the council includes 250 condos, with 38 designated as affordable units. The developer wanted to pay a fee to avoid building the affordable units, but the council said no. If the developer can sell the rezoned property for a huge profit without building anything, why not take the money and run?

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Progress has also stopped for Steadfast on Los Alisos / Jeronimo next to Unisys. The Pacific Law Center’s lawsuit regarding affordable housing is against Target as well, which now owns all 23 acres. Some residents suspect Steadfast never wanted to build anything but affordable apartments and Target never wanted to open a second store 1.4 miles from its current location on Alicia.

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A Buzz reader responded to last week’s editorial about the $9,000 / month salary of Mission Viejo Community Foundation Director Bob Zuer. The question: “How was the amount of $9,000 decided upon?” When Zuer was first contracted to set up the foundation, the amount he received was approximately $9.000 a month. While it doesn’t explain why his current salary is $9,000, it shows the precedent. As an aside, watch for a reaction following the next council meeting when the foundation releases information about its overhead.

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Another reader responded to The Buzz’s description of the p.r. contract for widening Crown Valley Parkway. The Buzz said “p.r.” stood for public rip-off. The reader said, “The p.r. contract was a $100,000 sweetheart deal to a former city politician with the residents getting no benefit whatsoever. That’s what happens when the city puts all its eggs into one bastard.”

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A reporter for the OC Register wrote (again!) on June 7 that the Capo Unified School District is “saving” money by owning and not renting space for its administrative staff. The new administration center was built with borrowed money, and the payments (more than $1.5 million a year) far exceed the amount of the former leases ($550,000 a year). How does the reporter propose to put a yearly loss of $1 million into a savings account?