Forum question for Oct. 21 Issue

If elected to the city council, would you favor increasing the number of homes in Mission Viejo in contradiction with the Master Plan? This issue is reflected in two questions suggested by readers. One reader further asks if candidates want to scrap the city’s Master Plan, and the other asks if candidates are supporting plans to overturn zoning at Marguerite and La Paz to enable the building of apartments.

Response from Jim Woodin:

Answering the question about increasing the number of homes in Mission Viejo has two parts. First, there is no land left in the city for stand-alone housing units. Second, the question must therefore be addressing high-density housing. High density works against the city’s Master Plan because it always creeps into commercial zones in the form of rezoning to mixed use. This is contrary to the Master Plan designed by the Mission Viejo Company years ago when many of our residents purchased their property. Most of the current council members never lived here during that period of time or they didn’t purchase their property from the Mission Viejo Company. Maybe that’s the reason some council members place little value in the Master Plan. A Citiizens Initiative now before the council will correct this problem by giving the voters the opportunity to vote on deviations from the Master Plan.

Commercial zones such as the one at Marguerite and La Paz are just that, “commercial zones.” Residential overlays being discussed by the current council are not in the Master Plan. The concept of Mission Viejo did not provide for children playing in parking lots. The Mission Viejo Company designed a city of low-density, single-family dwellings with high quality of life. High density is contrary to the expectations of most longtime residents and other residents as well.

Response from Michael Ferrall:

I oppose increasing the number of homes in our city. Mission Viejo homebuyers believe they invested in the city’s Master Plan whether they purchased their home last week or 30-some years ago. The city’s well-defined plan formerly had a dwelling unit cap – only a limited number of homes would be built. A previous council quietly lifted the cap, although I believe residents strongly object to more homebuilding. The Master Plan isn’t just an option the city council can overturn at will, but that’s what councils have been doing over the years. The city is built out, yet the current council has continued allowing housing development. If elected to the council, I will stop this trend. To address the two related questions submitted by readers: 1) I will defend the Master Plan; 2) I will oppose rezoning of any commercial property to residential and specifically at La Paz and Marguerite. In my opinion, some of the biggest mistakes of previous councils have been changes to the Master Plan. The changes were short-sighted, and the damages are everlasting. As an example, the addition of apartments in south Mission Viejo was a mistake. Schools, neighborhoods, traffic and quality of life have all been negatively impacted. Each council has been unable or unwilling to learn from the mistakes of previous councils, and the damage will continue until residents stop it at the ballot box.

Response from John Paul Ledesma:

To put this into perspective, the largest changes to Mission Viejo’s General Plan happened in the early 1990s, and any zoning change means the General Plan for the City of Mission Viejo has to be changed. Just because a change is made does not mean that a residential cap has been exceeded.  Part of the General Plan is the Housing Element and according to the State of California we do not have a valid housing element. My public record has demonstrated that I do have a bias and that representing the citizens of Mission Viejo is my greatest objective. If I write that I will do anything other than give fair consideration to a
proposal I will be doing a disservice to my fellow residents and would disqualify myself from the process.

Response from Trish Kelley:

I am opposed to rezoning the commercial center on LaPaz and Marguerite, or placing housing in this center.  I am opposed to any high-rise apartment buildings in our City.  Mission Viejo must consider the addition of residential units, due to the mandate from the State of California to provide an additional 94 affordable housing units.  I hope to address as many units as possible of this requirement through the renovation of existing apartments, in order to minimize the overall increase of residences.  I listened to residents who expressed interest in placing the required affordable units in several areas of the city in small numbers.  We cannot ignore the mandate from the State because it places us at risk of litigation.  I do not want to have city dollars spent defending lawsuits from housing advocates.  We must carefully address the shortfall and provide a solution that fits in and does not change the climate of our beautiful city.