Citizen’s Voter Initiative is Alive and Well
Editorial staff

Front-page headlines of the March 7 Saddleback Valley News read, “Right-To-Vote Initiative Dies.” Such an initiative would have called for a vote of the people to make decisions on zone changes. The article was about a proposed council-created initiative.

Until recently, only one initiative was being discussed – the one written by community activist Dale Tyler. And then (for a short time) there were two. Councilwoman Gail Reavis put a voter initiative on the March 3 council agenda, but hers included only recreational and open space, and even those categories had exclusions. The initiative Reavis proposed died for lack of a second at the March 3 council meeting. Meanwhile, Tyler’s initiative is alive and well.

Residents who watched the March 3 council meeting should have noticed that at least three council members are now working with the developer. Councilmen Lance MacLean and Frank Ury appeared to be pro-developer all along, and both have accepted donations from Sunrise’s PR agent, Roger Faubel. During the March 3 council meeting, Ury announced from the dais that a majority on the council is now “working with Sunrise.” Alarms should be going off for anyone who cares about saving the golf course. Ury summarized his comments: “You either trust us or you don’t.”

Good thing residents still have a choice on that one.

Council members are apparently continuing to meet separately with Sunrise, as Ury alluded to his recent meeting with the developer. Kelley is still insisting “there’s no proposal in front of the council.” However, when all five council members have met individually with the developer, it’s a matter of terminology.

After Reavis’ motion failed to get a second, she challenged Ury’s remark that things are going well for those who want to keep the golf course. She said Sunrise stated in its early plans that it would move the current clubhouse over to Marguerite Parkway. Also in the plans are 300 residential units in a three-story complex. When Reavis saw that something was missing from the developer’s resulting layout, she quoted Sunrise as saying that the 18-hole golf course “wasn’t financially viable.” She said of Sunrise’s new claim that an 18-hole golf course is back in the plans, “They’ll say anything.”

One of the problems Ury has when he’s saying “trust us” is that two entirely different stories are coming from the council about the golf course. The only consistent message is the developer’s plan to build a 300-unit assisted-living complex at the south end of the property.

For anyone who thinks the golf course will be preserved, here’s information that might shed light. Definition of a developer according to Webster’s: a person who invests in and develops the urban or suburban potentialities of real estate, especially by subdividing the land into home sites and then building houses and selling them.

Does anyone believe Sunrise is not a developer but, instead, a benevolent protector of recreational opportunities for the public? A developer who buys 60-plus acres of prime real estate in the heart of Mission Viejo is either going to build housing on it or carve it up and resell it to other developers who will build housing on it. Residents living in adjacent HOAs have stated they expect the developer to divide up the golf course after getting the entire parcel rezoned for high-density residential. The speed at which the golf course shrinks from 18 holes to zero is anyone’s guess.

Residents should not be duped into believing the developer or trusting the council. The only way to stop housing from replacing the golf course is for residents to take away the council’s power to rezone the property. Dale Tyler’s voter initiative is currently undergoing legal review, and he will next deliver it to city hall. Watch for updates on this blog about the signature-gathering phase.