Setting Priorities for San Juan Capistrano’s Open Space

During the campaign to pass the Open Space Measure D initiative in the spring of 1990, the citizens of San Juan Capistrano banded together in unprecedented unity to preserve as “open space” some of the remaining agricultural land in San Juan Capistrano.

During the months since the election, we have made every attempt to involve the community in the planning process as we promised. Our goal has always been to allow our citizens to select how they want to utilize the land we purchase. It should be noted that during the campaign to pass Measure D, we proposed to try to acquire “20 acres” at the Kinoshita Farm site. Fortunately, with extensive negotiations and some prudent financing, we were able to acquire the entire 56 acres at the Kinoshita site. Negotiations are still under way in the northwest agricultural area.

The city hired a professional planning consulting firm to guide us through the selection process. At the same time, a committee of citizens active during the campaign were selected to work with the consultant and our citizens to assure that everyone had an opportunity to participate in the selection of uses in the agricultural areas that are purchased. There have been numerous work sessions open to the public. Two postal surveys were sent out. Out of all this, the planners, committees, and citizens came up with several conceptual plans. Of these, one was selected that those involved thought most closely represented the desires of those who chose to participate.

The plan is conceptual, it is preliminary and, in my opinion, it is on the right track. It still has to go through the City Council before the implementation process begins. There will be changes and there will be further input and some debate about what should go where. This is how our system works.

There have been rumblings about “special interest groups and arm-twisting.” This disturbs me very much. The term “special interest” in this case is misleading. What we have are groups which include, to mention a few, Little League, AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization), Girl and Boy Scouts, senior citizens, agricultural preservation interests, historical and cultural organizations, Native Americans, and many individuals who represent themselves and their families. I would say the aforementioned entities represent the overwhelming majority of the citizenry of San Juan Capistrano, not “special interests” as recently stated in The Times (“San Juan Fund for Open Space Buys a Field of Potential Pitfalls,” Oct. 6).

With that in mind, I would urge all of our citizens in San Juan Capistrano to make themselves aware of what is being proposed, what we have determined to this point, and what the citizens want on the agricultural sites in question. We were able to acquire 56 acres (at the Kinoshita site) . . . This provides us with more latitude with our agricultural uses and recreational uses on that site.

It is absolutely imperative that objectivity and consideration for every citizen’s desire be the No. 1 priority. If this approach is taken, everyone will benefit.

GIL JONES, City Councilman, San Juan Capistrano