Local News in Brief : Cypress : Review Is Scheduled for Development Guidelines

The City Council has ordered a review of city development guidelines, taking the first steps since last month’s special election toward finding a use for property surrounding Los Alamitos Race Course.

In that election, voters rejected on Feb. 14 a proposal for a business park called Cypress Downs for the site.

Updating the guidelines “will give us more direction and more response to some of the community issues that have been raised in the recent election,” City Manager Darrell L. Essex said Tuesday. Some of those issues include open space, business park density and community concerns.

Council members voted unanimously Monday to hire consultants to review guidelines known as the general plan. They instructed the city staff to prepare suggestions for prospective consultants by their March 13 meeting.

In discussing the action, council members said consultants would not target one particular area but would look at all properties affected by development and redevelopment policies.

But Mayor Pro Tem John Kanel said later that the Los Alamitos Race Course area was a major consideration. “Obviously, this is a catalyst,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest areas to look at.”