LAGUNA NIGUEL : Smith’s Food, Drug to Redesign Project

Although skeptical that an alternative proposal can win their approval, City Council members are giving developers of a controversial Smith’s Food and Drug Center a chance to redesign the project.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday night to give the developers until Aug. 3 to devise a plan that fits with the city’s vision for a mixed-used development for the 13-acre property on the northwest corner of Aliso Creek and La Paz roads.

Council members took the action after Philip Bettencourt, a Smith’s consultant, asked them to allow the developer and landowner, Birtcher Niguel, more time to work with the city staff on a revised proposal.

City Manager Tim Casey likewise recommended that the developers be given another chance, although he said the city staff would enter the discussions with a degree of skepticism.

“It remains to be seen whether a Smith’s Food and Drug can be incorporated into a mixed-use project,” Casey said. But, he added, “I think they deserve the opportunity.”

Birtcher Niguel previously proposed an “urban village” for the vacant site, including movie theaters, a fitness center, restaurants, stores and offices. The council approved that plan in January but it fell through when Edwards Cinemas backed out.

Birtcher Niguel returned in June with the Smith’s proposal for a 77,754-square-foot, 24-hour food and drug center on 7.27 acres. The city’s Planning Commission rejected that proposal on June 16, after residents and city staff objected that the project did not meet community needs for a variety of retail and commercial uses and that it was not aesthetically pleasing.

Council members echoed those concerns Tuesday, saying the city has several grocery stores now open or planned and doesn’t need more.