LAGUNA NIGUEL : Attendance Sparse at Planning Sessions

Although city officials had expected residents to eagerly participate in drafting a plan to guide the city’s development, several neighborhood meetings have generated little interest so far, a city official said Friday.

A total of about 20 people attended the first four meetings held last week to launch the planning process. One meeting drew only one resident, city planner Bill Cunningham said.

Workshops and town hall meetings will be held over the next year to design a blueprint to govern all development in the city.

“This is a first step of the general plan, identifying issues that are important to community residents,” Cunningham said. “We’d like to get a lot more people to these (meetings).”

Residents who have turned out have been “pretty sophisticated,” Cunningham said.

“If we can get double the people and double the quality that came out of the first meetings, we’re going to be doing tremendously,” he said.

So far, residents have expressed concerns about such issues as noise, traffic and schools.

Officials say they will gather information that could influence whether condominiums, single-family homes or a commercial center will be built at a given development site, and how open space should be used or preserved.

Four more neighborhood sessions will be held next week and a larger town hall-type of meeting is scheduled for June 24.

Meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at Laguna Niguel Community Park, 29751 Crown Valley Parkway. The Monday meeting will concern the Marina Hills neighborhood, the Wednesday gathering will focus on the Bear Brand and Beacon Hill communities, and Thursday’s session will target the Laguna Niguel Country Club area in the south part of the city.

For residents unable to attend the evening meetings, there will be a session at 10 a.m. next Saturday at Republic Federal Bank, 30212 Crown Valley Parkway.