MISSION VIEJO : Panel Eases Way for Alicia Project

Another obstacle in the path of a long-delayed major street was cleared this week when the Planning Commission decided to dissolve requirements that tie the opening of the parkway to another street currently under construction.

By a 4-0 vote, the commission approved amending a 1987 development agreement with the Mission Viejo Co. that required the developer to postpone completion of Alicia Parkway until work on Oso Parkway, another major artery in the area, is finished.

But work on Alicia Parkway has been stalled by construction delays on Oso Parkway, including problems with naturally occurring wet soil along the proposed path of the street. Oso Parkway is being constructed as part of the Foothill Circulation Phasing Plan, a joint project between the county and area developers to create traffic circulation routes near a proposed tollway.

In May, the City Council asked city staff to devise a plan to expedite the completion of Alicia Parkway, which would serve as a major connector route between Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo. The Planning Commission’s action this week sends the amendment to that plan to the council for final approval.

“All the (Planning Commission) members saw the need and the value of completing Alicia Parkway,” Commissioner Sunnie Castner said. “This is a good place and a good time to complete that street.”

Castner said the extension could be finished in about six months. However, Mission Viejo Co. representatives said they are still negotiating several conditions with the city.

Company spokeswoman Wendy Wetzel said one of the main issues being discussed deals with compensation to the firm for the increased costs of building the roadway.