MISSION VIEJO : Poll Finds Support for New City Hall

Despite overwhelmingly rejecting a proposed $18-million City Hall in a special election last month, residents here still want a civic center built.

According to a poll conducted by the city earlier this month, most voters support construction of a new city hall but want to ride out the recession before spending the necessary millions.

“The results showed that people want to hunker down because of the economy,” said Mayor Sharon Cody. “But they see the long-range benefits of owning versus renting. They’d like to see it built in five to 10 years.” The city currently rents space in an office building.

The City Council commissioned the poll after a June 2 special election in which the project was defeated by a 3-to-1 margin.

Of those polled, 47% said they would support a modest city hall while 42% said the city does not need to construct its own building. Overall, 81% of those voting against the city hall building said they opposed the project because of money problems and believed the proposed 80,000-square-foot facility would have been too large.

Pollsters contacted 500 registered voters by telephone July 6-8. The survey has a 4% margin of error, according to The Fairfax Research Group, the pollster

Residents were also split on the site of the new city hall. Most favored a location at Marguerite Parkway and La Paz Road, which is also the future home of the Mission Viejo Library.