Mayor Hopes for Compromise on Chapman Building

With Chapman College’s plans for a $10-million classroom building coming up for a final vote tonight before the Orange City Council, Mayor Jess F. Perez said Monday he still had hopes for a compromise in the yearlong dispute between the college and neighboring homeowners.

Perez said he has been meeting in recent days with college officials and neighbors who oppose the building, and he said some progress has been made toward an agreement on traffic and parking concerns.

“In the best of all worlds, a compromise would be reached that’s acceptable to a majority of the people,” Perez said. “I don’t have a crystal ball, so I don’t know how this will work out.”

The city Planning Commission voted Nov. 3 to deny the permit for the four-story Learning Center on Center Street, between Sycamore and Palm streets.

Opposition to Building

Many neighbors oppose the building, saying the 63-foot-tall structure would be out of harmony with the area’s one- and two-story residences. The neighbors also predicted the building would generate traffic and parking problems. The dispute between the neighbors and Chapman College already has delayed construction of the building, which the college had intended to begin by last January.

The disagreements also have triggered friction between the college and the city. After an initial rebuff by the Planning Commission on Oct. 6, College President G. T. (Buck) Smith said the college “may have to go somewhere else” and build an entirely new campus.

Chapman is a 125-year-old private, four-year college that has been in Orange since moving from Los Angeles in 1954. The college has about 2,100 students, and the proposed new classroom structure is badly needed to house existing programs, college officials have said.

Chapman’s struggle for the new building became an issue during the recent mayoral and City Council elections in Orange. Smith sent letters to some Orange residents in which he named candidates who had been friendly to the proposed new building. All of those candidates were defeated, however, including mayoral candidate Bob Hoyt, who lost to Perez.

“They (college officials) chose to inject this into politics, which I don’t think was wise or necessary,” Perez said. But he added that he doesn’t think the winners are carrying grudges against the college. “I don’t think there’s any kind of rancor,” he said.

Sees Changes Needed

The mayor, however, said he thinks the college will have to agree to some changes in its building plan if it is to get City Council approval. Perez said most of the neighborhood opposition has focused on parking and traffic worries.

Perez said he thinks an acceptable compromise would have to allay residents’ concerns about parking and traffic “while allowing Chapman to construct the building on Center Street, where the college thinks it ought to be.”

The college is surrounded by homes that are 40 years old or older, and many have been restored by young couples. Homeowners earlier this year formed the Old Towne Preservation Assn., which has led opposition to the Learning Center building.

“Its height and mass are inappropriate for Old Towne,” said Dale Rahn, president of the association. “We’d like to have the building either moved (to another site) or modified.”

The college president could not be reached for comment Monday. In the past he has said Chapman already has made several changes to the building plans in attempts to satisfy nearby residents.