Orange : Action on Condominium Plan Delayed to Aug. 5

The Orange Planning Commission has delayed until Aug. 5 a decision on whether to approve construction of 146 condominiums on a golf course near Tustin Avenue and the Garden Grove Freeway.

The Santiago Creek Homeowners’ Assn. is fighting Century American Corp., an Orange development firm, over its attempt to build condominiums on what is now Santiago Golf Course. The commission granted a 35-day postponement as a compromise. The homeowners’ group had sought a 60-day delay, a contractor that built some of the homes facing the golf course asked for 90 days and Century American wanted two weeks.

The issue was first heard June 3, but was postponed to give city officials time for study .

Jim Reichert, associate city planner, said his staff has recommended that the commission approve construction as well as a zoning change. If the commission forwards the proposal, the matter would then go before the City Council for final approval.

Currently, the area is zoned for single-family residences. Ralph Maskek, president of the homeowners’ group, said a condominium tract would lower property values of 156 surrounding homes by about $10,000 to $15,000 each.

Such a development would also adversely affect traffic patterns in the Tustin Avenue area, said Dan C. Wooldridge, a consultant for the homeowners’ association. In addition, the project would be “the first major intrusion on the greenbelt between Main Street (in Santa Ana) and Tustin Avenue,” he said, calling the strip of parks “a critical component . . . in the countywide open space.”

Wooldridge said the continuance was approved Monday to give homeowners time to study an environmental impact report for the project, particularly the section that details necessary flood-control measures on the banks of Santiago Creek.