RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA : Planners Approve Housing Project

Citing an urgent need for affordable housing, the county Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a 2,500-home development on the edge of O’Neill Regional Park despite warnings the project may destroy one of Southern California’s richest natural habitats.

The commission voted unanimously to endorse the proposed Las Flores Planned Community, even though a county-hired consultant recommended that the project be moved an average of 285 feet farther from the lush canyon known as Arroyo Trabuco. The commission also rejected a more modest proposal for an additional buffer zone suggested by the county’s Division of Harbors, Beaches and Parks.

The project, which must also be approved by the County Board of Supervisors, calls for a blend of housing, parks, offices and light industry. The supervisors are scheduled to vote on the project Dec. 5.

As a condition of approval, 60% of the homes will sell for less than $250,000, the current median cost of a new home in Orange County. Construction, however, is not expected until late 1993, and the price ceiling will be adjusted for inflation.

“Not anyone walked away from the process with everything they wanted, but we’re confident we can produce a quality project,” said an elated Dan Kelly, vice president of the Santa Margarita Co.

Kelly noted that his company had been required to delete portions of its original proposal to accommodate local wildlife, which include the county’s dwindling deer population and 61 species of birds.

“I think the commission fulfilled its charge in evaluating all of the testimony it received,” Kelly said.

Environmentalists, however, sharply disagreed. A report earlier this month, compiled by biologist Karlin Marsh and two other wildlife experts, warned that the project could tarnish a 5-mile stretch of the Arroyo Trabuco. According to the report, the project would jeopardize the habitat that is home to two rare California birds, the San Diego cactus wren and the California gnatcatcher.

Opponents of the project also complained that the developer had failed to adequately explain how already-clogged highways would absorb traffic from an additional 2,500 homes.