Vote Yes on Measure D

I enthusiastically support Measure D, as did J. Saltzgiver when she collected 1,200 signatures to oppose development on Casta del Sol Golf Course. There are two people listed on the No on D flyers. One was the No. 1 cheerleader FOR an airport at El Toro. He used most of the same arguments FOR an airport that he is using against D.

Another one is the agent for the assisted living company that wanted to build on the Casta golf course. If the voters think the developers have just “given up,” think again.

Another opponent is the CEO of Mission Hospital. The hospital not only already owns all of the land for city blocks in Mission Viejo and has the entitlements to build just about anything they want, they do not pay property taxes. The hospital is owned by a religious group and does not have to pay taxes like the rest of the businesses in the city.

The people in Aegean Hills should worry because the owner of the Unisys property wrote to the city a few years ago asking to have their property REZONED from industrial to high-density residential. This negates the Chamber of Commerce argument about D being a “job killer.” When the Unisys property is converted, we will lose those jobs forever in Mission Viejo.

Also a few years ago, two hotel entities were looking at the property next to the animal shelter. If the city was not seriously interested in selling that property to a private developer, why did they spend thousands of dollars to have it appraised?

The Kmart property: By the way it IS in a flood control area and entitlements to build HAVE been given!  The developer has come to Palmia at least twice in recent years to attempt to change the entitlement from owner occupied townhomes to apartments.  If Measure D does not pass, there are only three votes keeping them from changing the entitlements. 

The property next to Tuesday morning:  Not only has the Kmart developer tried to move his obligation to build 15 percent affordable to this site,  they have suggested that the entire site be made “affordable” to handle Mission Viejo’s housing issue with the state.

The argument about high density low income on the NO argument are specious at best.  They already rezoned five pieces of property (Master Plan???) to residential or mixed use and each already includes 15 percent affordable.

The final property in question would be the “Michaels” shopping center. The city commissioned a study from the Urban Land Institute a few years ago and their proposal was to completely renovate and replace that entire shopping center with “mixed use.”  That would mean shops at street level and apartments or condos above. The worst suggestion in the study was how they would handle the parking with so many uses at the same site.

If Measure D does not pass, I feel sorry for the citizens of Mission Viejo. They will spend a lifetime wishing they had done something to pass D, and saying “Gee, I didn’t understand.” It will be too late.

The citizen proponents of D have pooled their own taxpayer/voter dollars to get this on the ballot for you. It is unlikely they will do it again in the future.

However, the NO people have spent tens of thousands of dollars to stop you from having a say in MAJOR changes in land-use zoning in our precious MASTER PLANNED community.  Right now, three people [the council majority members] are making life-changing decisions for you and me. I, for one, trust the people and want Measure D to pass.

VOTE YES ON MEASURE D.

This guest editorial also appeared on the Mission Viejo Dispatch and OrangeJuiceBlog.com. Find reader comments at http://missionviejodispatch.com/?p=16639#comments and http://orangejuiceblog.com/2010/05/former-mv-mayor-supports-yes-on-measure-d