Residents Continue Defending Golf Course
Staff editorial

Those who watched the March 17 council meeting again heard concerned residents speak in favor of preserving the Casta del Sol golf course. The president of the Casta del Sol HOA presented 191 additional signatures on a petition to save the golf course, bringing the total to approximately 1,400. A resident of another HOA adjacent to the golf course, Cypress Point, made comments that included the question, “Are we supposed to feel relieved by the delay [of a council decision] until after the election?” Regarding the council’s position of taking no action until the developer has officially presented a plan to the city, the speaker said, “If you need a proposal to act on, we’ll write one for you.”

No council member has publicly stated opposition to the developer building an assisted-living project at the south end of the golf course where the clubhouse now stands. Instead, some council members only want to talk about the golf course, claiming it will be preserved because the developer now has an appreciation of public opinion.

Sunrise and its PR agent, Roger Faubel, have been somewhat successful in diverting residents’ attention away from the real objective of getting council approval for the assisted-living project. Some council members are echoing the chorus and occasionally mentioning their ongoing private talks with the developer. When council members and developers are saying the same things, residents should take note.

Homeowners in all three adjacent HOAs have indicated during public meetings that they want no change – no assisted living project, no city-owned park, no increased public access to their borders and no additional traffic. Mission Viejo residents are clear on wanting to preserve the 18-hole executive golf course as is. Any negotiation with the developer would translate into a loss for residents.

If everyone will stand united and reject housing at the south end of the golf course, the developer will walk away. Sunrise has no interest in preserving a golf course, creating a park or keeping residents happy. Casta del Sol residents also point to the undeveloped land on the south side of Casta Drive, which looks like a gulch in back of the Marguerite Rec Center. They say a portion of the “gulch property” belongs to the owner of the golf course, and it is in jeopardy of development if the golf course is rezoned.

No one should make the mistake of engaging the developer in a debate over details of the housing project. Any talk about traffic, noise, security and quality of life will be summarily dismissed by “expert consultants” paid for by the developer if the plan is officially presented to the city. The best way to keep the golf course is to say no to the entire project.

Council Members Trish Kelley and Frank Ury during a previous meeting (March 3) talked at length about the merits of the council’s 45-day moratorium, which observers have correctly denounced as a sham. The moratorium contains a variance – a loophole that enables developers to proceed by paying a fee. A Casta del Sol resident who sat in the audience during the March 3 council discussion later remarked, “It sounds as if at least three council members have already made up their minds to approve the developer’s project.”

The Mission Viejo Right To Vote Initiative is proceeding, and its proponents believe it will be on the November ballot. If voters decide to pass the initiative, any future zone change would require a popular vote.