Study on New Jail Narrows List to 29 Sites

A new county report on possible locations for a maximum-security jail narrowed the list of 35 sites to 29 Thursday but left three that have drawn heated opposition from area residents.

Six sites were stricken from the list because of “adjacent land-use influences,” meaning that they are too close to actual or potential residential or commercial development. They are in east Mission Viejo, north Irvine, Irvine Park, Peter’s Canyon, Tomato Spring and Little Joaquin Valley.

The feasibility study marked the first step in what could be a yearlong process before a remote site in the county is found to ease overcrowding at existing jails. The proposed facility would hold 4,500 to 5,000 inmates.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider the report Nov. 26, the same day it is scheduled to consider a draft environmental impact report on what is called the “near-term facility,” the 1,500-inmate jail proposed near Anaheim Stadium.

The new report by Michael M. Ruane of the county Environmental Management Agency said the remaining sites include one in Coal Canyon and two in Gypsum Canyon. Residents in Anaheim Hills, only a few miles from those two canyons, protested 2 1/2 years ago when the supervisors considered putting a jail in one of the canyons. The objections prompted the supervisors to expand the search for the new jail throughout the county, ultimately leading to Thursday’s report.

The question of where to put a jail has plagued the board since it hired the Omni Group of Santa Monica five years ago to study the county’s jail needs. The consultants concluded that 6,000 new beds would be needed by the end of the century.

Last year, a federal judge found the county in contempt for not obeying his 1978 order to end overcrowding at the main men’s jail in Santa Ana, giving the search for a new facility a fresh impetus. In March, the supervisors picked Anaheim for a 1,500-bed jail and ordered the quest for a remote site to continue.

Some county officials have said an additional four sites on the list are likely to be dropped from consideration because they are within 10 miles of the nuclear power station at San Onofre. All four sites are south of Ortega Highway.

A team of aides to the five county supervisors, Ruane, jail officials and other county staffers have been meeting periodically for months to draw up a list of potential jail sites.

The report said the considerations include the amount of land that could be developed, distance from residential and commercial developments, and access to roads, water and other utilities.

Although the document said 120 acres of developable land would appear to be the minimum needed for a jail, the list contains 19 locations with less than that amount.

Some presumably could be combined, such as west Fremont Canyon with 55 acres, upper Fremont Canyon with 50 acres, middle Fremont Canyon with 70 acres, and lower Fremont Canyon with 55 acres. But the expense of combining tracts may be prohibitive.

Coal Canyon is listed at 40 acres, lower Gypsum Canyon at 165 and upper Gypsum Canyon at 80.

Nearly all the tracts are privately owned, and the report does not estimate the costs of acquiring property and building the jail.

Most of the sites on Thursday’s list are in eastern Orange County. Coal and Gypsum Canyons, for instance, are south of the Riverside Freeway, not far from the Riverside County line. Also in that area is Weir Canyon, which has two possible sites on the list.

Irvine Lake, Limestone Creek and east and west Loma Ridge are farther south and east. South county locations include Chiquita Canyon and La Paz, as well as Caspers Park, a regional park that undoubtedly would cause an uproar if it were chosen.

Supervisors have said they expect strong objections from some people no matter where they build a jail.

Ruane distributed the report to various county agencies, seeking written comment on the study until Nov. 14, which is 12 days before the supervisors are scheduled to consider the report.