LOS ALAMITOS : Growth Management Put Into General Plan

Although this small city of 12,500 people is built almost to capacity, concern about exploding growth in neighboring cities prompted the City Council this week to approve a growth management plan.

“Although we can’t base our own plans and development on what goes on in these towns, we need to monitor what they are doing,” Mayor pro Tem Robert P. Wahlstrom said.

There are few undeveloped areas within the borders of Los Alamitos. However, there has been a profusion of new developments in cities such as Cypress, Garden Grove and Long Beach, which border Los Alamitos.

Traffic has already increased on Katella Avenue and Los Alamitos Boulevard because of the new developments, Councilwoman Alice Jempsa said.

“As we have seen with Cypress Downs (a new development in Cypress on its border with Los Alamitos), we must work in conjunction with our neighbors to have a say in something that impacts our traffic so much,” Jempsa said.

The council voted to add a growth management element to the city’s General Plan. Council members also approved other changes to the plan, including rezoning a block in the Old Town West neighborhood for residences instead of businesses.

Except for a plumbing business’s employee parking lot, all of the existing buildings in the rezoned block--bounded by Chestnut, Florista and Catalina streets and an alley--are residential.