Mission Viejo May Buy Parcel for Rail Station : Transit: Any of four proposed sites would give South County commuters a new freeway alternative.

Moving to create another alternative for commuters in traffic-choked South County, the City Council is moving forward with plans to locate a new rail depot in the city to link up with existing rail service.

The idea could move a step closer to reality if the council votes Monday to negotiate the purchase of a site for the proposed transportation center.

If the council chooses one of four possible locations for the station, city officials say a depot could be in service as early as December, 1993. Some council members say they need more information before deciding on a site.

The council has consistently supported the concept of a regional transportation center. Earlier this summer, the council set aside $50,000 for a feasibility study on the station proposal.

“There are few issues that are as important to the everyday lives of Saddleback Valley residents than the intolerable traffic congestion around here,” Councilman Robert D. Breton said.

The site recommended by city staff is a 1-acre triangle of land at the Laguna Niguel border, near the Crown Valley Parkway’s intersection with Interstate 5.

“It would be ideal,” Breton said. “These are both major arterials that cover much of South County. This site is real close to the freeway, and it’s very near the San Joaquin Corridor,” a proposed toll road stretching from San Clemente to Irvine.

One commute train to Los Angeles now serves the county, stopping in San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Irvine, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton.

The Orange County Transportation Authority hopes that Mission Viejo will become one of four new stops on that line. The county agency has committed about $1.2 million to help Mission Viejo, North Irvine-Tustin, Orange and Buena Park build new stations.

“Mission Viejo is a very important site,” said Brian Pearson, agency director of rail programs. “The nearest station is San Juan Capistrano, and parking there is very limited. We’re looking to this station to provide more parking and better access to the train.”

In addition to regular Amtrak service, 600 riders now take the county commuter train daily. The Transportation Authority eventually wants to add eight more commuter round-trips, with 5,000 more potential riders daily, Pearson said.

The other three sites under consideration by the council are at Cabot and Rapid Falls roads, near La Paz Road and Chrisanta Drive and off Alicia Parkway near the Gateway Center.

If the council chooses to negotiate to buy one of the four sites, city staff members will go forward with finding engineers and consultants to build the station. The Transportation Authority would give the final approval to the station plans.

Breton said the proposed Mission Viejo station is needed to handle the growing population of South County. The areas around the proposed sites are heavily residential and close to major Saddleback Valley streets.

The councilman would like to see the site become a transportation center, with facilities for ride-sharing programs and car- and van-pooling.

Breton, who commutes to Los Angeles daily to his job as a state deputy attorney general, said he would like to see at least a bare-bones station ready by the time the county adds commuter round-trips.

“It would be great to get our foot in the door,” he said, “even if it’s just a whistle-stop.”