Sunrise Backs Off Housing Plan
Staff editorial

Has Sunrise Senior Living thrown in the towel? On Fri., Aug. 15, the city received word from Sunrise spokesman Wayne Sant announcing the withdrawal of plans to build an assisted-living facility on the Casta del Sol Golf Course. The question remains if Sunrise is giving up entirely or waiting for a more opportune time to try again.

Two councilmen, Frank Ury and Lance MacLean, have indicated during council meetings that they favor the developer’s plan to build. With Ury up for reelection, Sunrise might lose one of its key supporters if voters remove him from office in November. Councilwoman Trish Kelley publicly claims she likes the golf course, but she has sided with developers 100 percent of the time on rezoning issues. Sunrise needs three council votes to get the property rezoned to high-density residential in order to build its assisted-living project. Activists say the developer wouldn’t have hung in there for the past year without the support of three council members.

The Sunrise spokesman cited slow growth in housing as one reason to scrap plans. As another issue, the OC Register on Aug. 21 broke the story of a new lawsuit alleging inadequate care in a Sunrise facility, Villa Valencia in Laguna Hills. In May 2008, Sunrise was ordered to pay $2 million following the 2007 death of a patient in Villa Valencia. The new lawsuit alleges inadequate care of another patient who died.

In its decision not to pursue housing on the golf course, Sunrise also mentioned community activist Dale Tyler’s Aug. 8 launch of the Mission Viejo Right-To-Vote Initiative. If passed by voters, the initiative would require a popular vote on any major zone change. While Sunrise might be able to persuade three council members to rezone the golf course to high-density housing, persuading a majority of Mission Viejo’s registered voters would be more difficult and costly. Those gathering signatures to put the initiative on the ballot are finding strong opposition throughout the community to housing on the golf course.

Proponents of the initiative say the departure of Sunrise hasn’t changed anything because the golf course is still for sale. As one resident posted on another city blog, there will be another Sunrise. Additionally, numerous other parcels around town are targets for high-density housing. As residents have signed the petition, they say they’re supporting the initiative because the city is built out and getting overcrowded.