Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS. : COUNTY : Trabuco Expansion Request Is Denied
Trabuco Canyon residents have long feared the ills of urbanization marching into their rural frontier.
In response last week, the county Planning Commission turned down a developer’s application to dramatically increase the number of homes that may be built on the 822-acre Robinson Ranch.
The vote was 3 to 2--reflecting the controversy that has surrounded the development from the start--but the final decision must be made by the county Board of Supervisors on May 28.
The William Lyon Co. has asked to build 1,850 homes rather than 882 on the ranch, which lies on the edge of the Cleveland National Forest. More homes will mean cheaper homes, more affordable to first-time home buyers, the developer argues.
But canyon residents raised the specter of traffic-choked roads.
And they said new schools, water treatment plants and sewers should be in place first.
Meanwhile, the Planning Commission postponed until September its final hearing on two other projects in the canyon country of eastern Orange County, which also have strong opposition from area residents.
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