ALISO VIEJO : Illegal Grading by Developer Charged

The County Environmental Management Agency said this week that the Mission Viejo Co. illegally graded land next to Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park.

The land at the south edge of the Aliso Viejo planned development extends for several miles along the west leg of the park.

Just how much land is affected is unclear, said County Planning Director Tom Mathews, but it serves as a buffer zone between the park and planned houses.

The Mission Viejo Co. has applied for grading permits and will eventually be grading the land but for now it is only allowed to thin plants there for fire-prevention purposes.

More extensive grading, grubbing or clearing of plants is not allowed, Mathews said.

“What they did in this area is they thinned really well--they cleared it all out,” said John Sibley, chief deputy director of the Environmental Management Agency. “What we’re concerned about is that they did this prior to getting permits. We think they should have waited until getting permits.”

Wendy Wetzel, spokeswoman for the Mission Viejo Co., acknowledged that some of the company’s work caused dirt to spill into Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park but she denied that any clearing was done without permits.

Determining exactly what was done is not an easy task, Sibley said.

A large map on his office wall shows various zones in Aliso Viejo shaded differently and crisscrossing each other. Relating those to what is actually out on the hills is easier said than done.

The Mission Viejo Co. has already agreed to hire a biologist to restore the parkland that was affected by the spilled dirt, but county officials say they will also require the company to submit a map detailing their work in the area, stake out boundaries of the various zones and produce a plan for replanting and rehabilitation of damaged land.

If the company had received grading permits for its work, the spilling of dirt into the parkland might have been permitted, Sibley said.

When permits are issued, the company may be required to pay up to double the normal fees because of its actions, he said.