Council Should Butt Out
Staff editorial

Before the city’s July 19 budget workshop began, the Urban Land Institute gave an hour-long presentation with regard to business properties along Marguerite Parkway near La Paz Road. Pairing of the two subjects – private property rights and taking care of city business – took an ironic turn by the end of the meeting.

Without provocation from business owners, the city decided to stick its nose into one of the city’s few thriving retail centers that’s fully leased. The owners are independent, their tenants support the status quo, and residents patronize the stores. The PowerPoint presentation by the Urban Land Institute showing the center’s “problems” should have drawn laughs. Photos of the center showed full parking lots. The biggest concern among residents about the south portion of the center isn’t the “tired appearance of buildings” described by ULI. It’s finding a parking place close to Trader Joe’s.

Some of ULI’s comments were insulting. They remarked about the center’s “low-rent” tenants. The discount stores – Steinmart and Big Lots – are also apparently beneath ULI's tastes.

Surprisingly, Mission Viejo residents who shop at the La Paz/Marguerite center generally have most of their teeth.

Several council members commented about the “aging” appearance of the center. Perhaps they haven’t noticed this center looks a lot like the rest of Mission Viejo. Many homes are the same age as the targeted retail area. Buildings north of La Paz/Marguerite – including the Elks Lodge – have a similar look. Near Trabuco, the same can be said of the Jewish Center and nearby retail shops. All are private property.

An exception near the corner of Marguerite and Trabuco is the tennis center, which the city owns. This is what ties Part 1 and Part 2 of the meeting together. Comments from the audience were nearly unanimous to the ULI’s presentation: the city should keep its nose out of the private sector. Public comments during Part 2 – the budget workshop – were unanimous: the city should fix up the property it owns and provide public facilities for the public’s benefit. Residents understand the function of government, and council members evidently do not. Most residents in the audience agreed the city's Marguerite and Felipe recreation facilities are aging, deteriorating and in need of attention.

Having failed to take care of municipal property, the council would now like to tell private property owners how their buildings should look.

The ULI hit a particularly sour note with the recommendation of up to 450 apartments on top of stores, raising the ire of most residents who spoke. MacLean enthusiastically approved, saying he wants more housing in Mission Viejo.

Residents attending the meeting were amused by ULI’s comment a trolley line should be added for city transportation. With traffic being one of the city’s biggest problems, residents should envision cars backing up behind more slow-moving vehicles. The city is already served with a bus route, which has few riders.

Despite lack of support from most of those attending the meeting and no other input from the community, the council agreed to move the ULI’s recommendations forward by forming a task force. After voters dumped Sherri Butterfield and Susan Withrow in 2002 for pushing views opposite those of the residents, their in-your-face attitude is back.

In the November 2006 city election, the blog strongly recommended the removal of Lance MacLean and Trish Kelley from the council. With 59,563 registered voters in the city, only 12,191 voted for Kelley and 8,574 voted for MacLean. Unfortunately, ten candidates split the vote, and both Kelley and MacLean managed to stay in office. The next opportunity for voters to remove any of the current council members is November 2008.