Smithcliffs: Planning at Its Worst

The Times provided an accurate account of what happened in the Orange County supervisors’ hearing that gave supervisory approval to the proposed Smithcliffs development directly adjacent to Laguna Beach (“Supervisors OK Smithcliffs Project,” Jan. 10).

The article and the furnished map give perspective to a major problem the county supervisors have brought on themselves over the years.

The supervisors have expressed recent concern over the loss of their operating tax base resulting from the spate of recent and proposed incorporations for cityhood in South County areas. The supervisors should not be surprised.

The prime motivator for all incorporations is the desire for citizens to take control over planning and design decisions in their community area. They learn quickly the county supervisors and other county offices cannot be trusted to make decisions that show sensitivity to local concerns when matched against a developer’s wish to develop his way.

An earlier, and important, decision that declared Smithcliffs out of the Laguna Beach sphere of influence is outrageous. The Times map clearly shows Laguna’s city boundaries surround the development area (and Emerald Bay) both east and west and north along the Coast Highway with the Pacific Ocean on the south. The corollary decision granting water and sewerage utilities to an Irvine water supplier is equally hard to understand, particularly when they must extend or connect to or cross Laguna Beach lines to reach Smithcliffs.

Smithcliffs developer Gary Brinderson made a deal with the county island of Emerald Bay that he would protect the flank of their private gated enclave and bay if they would support his development. This they duly did. Part of this arrangement was that required public access to the coast would be away from Emerald Bay and not provide the public beach access.

The Smithcliffs action and the decision process in this case represent planning at its worst and demonstrate near-total favoritism toward a developer attempting to maximize his profits and interests regardless of environmental considerations or local desires.

The Smithcliffs case demonstrates poor public policy totally aside from the fact the proposed development will destroy a precious habitat for the monarch butterfly with the near total regrading of the site and the removal of many old trees.

The approved plan will change the water flow across the land, create a new hill backing up to the back yard of homes in Laguna Beach and increase the hazards of driving on the Coast Highway because of ingress/egress difficulties.

The total county planning process is so insensitive and the results reflective of such Byzantine intrigue that there is little wonder the citizenry of unincorporated areas wish to empower themselves and move toward local control where there is more chance of being heard and the back room is moved up front.

SINCLAIR JONES, Laguna Beach