LAGUNA NIGUEL : Developers Seek Residents’ Feedback

Developers of a controversial Smith’s Food and Drug Center will meet with residents, the City Council and Planning Commission at a workshop next week to present alternative proposals for the project.

Council members, at their meeting Tuesday, scheduled the workshop after a representative for Smith’s and project developer Birtcher Niguel asked for an opportunity to get public comment on drawings of ideas being considered by the two companies.

“We would like to go to the community at the earliest possible date and show the community what we’re doing,” said Philip Bettencourt, a consultant to Smith’s and Birtcher Niguel.

Bettencourt said he expects to present six different plans for developing the prized 13-acre parcel at the northwest corner of Aliso Creek and La Paz roads.

The workshop will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Design Center South, 23811 Aliso Creek Road. For the developers, the session is intended to bridge the gap between them and the community.

Birtcher Niguel’s first proposal for an “urban village” consisting of retail stores, recreational facilities, restaurants and offices was enthusiastically approved by the City Council in January, but it fell through when a major tenant, Edwards Cinemas, pulled out.

The developer then touched off the current controversy when it returned with a proposal to put the 24-hour Smith’s store on 7.3 acres, while leaving the remainder of the property open for an undetermined future use.

Residents and city officials complained that the new proposal was aesthetically unpleasing and inconsistent with General Plan requirements for the property. In June, the Planning Commission rejected it. With City Council members indicating they would likewise turn down an appeal from the developers, Bettencourt asked last month for time to work with the city and residents on a more pleasing proposal. The council agreed.