LAGUNA NIGUEL : Open Space Subject of Workshop Today

The city today will hold its first workshop to discuss the possibility of buying land to preserve open space.

During a special 5 p.m. City Council meeting, city officials will outline funding alternatives and show how other communities, including Laguna Beach and San Juan Capistrano, have succeeded in buying land that otherwise would have been developed.

The news that Laguna Niguel is officially considering such alternatives sparked hope in neighboring Laguna Beach, where open space preservation regularly tops the municipal government agenda.

“Citizens of Laguna Niguel have benefited from the open space we’ve worked very hard to acquire, and we’re just very delighted they’re moving in the same direction,” said Mary Douglas, South Laguna Civic Assn.’s open space director.

The two undeveloped parcels in Laguna Niguel that have received the most attention from environmentalists are 22 acres on the ridgeline above South Laguna known as the Binion property and 60 acres between Pacific Island Drive and Crown Valley Parkway, known as the Hon property.

Tentative tract maps have been submitted to the city of Laguna Niguel for 32 homes on the Binion property and for a single large home on the Hon parcel. Environmental reports are being prepared on both parcels.

While Laguna Niguel officials stress that the purpose of tonight’s meeting is simply to discuss property acquisition in general, Douglas said it is seen as an encouraging step by South Laguna residents who have fought for at least 15 years to keep development off the ridgelines that connect the two communities.