MISSION VIEJO : Critics Protest Size of Planned Hockey Rink

Some of the 100 people who protested a proposed roller hockey rink during a Planning Commission meeting last week have promised to be at tonight’s City Council session.

Parks and recreation officials have been discussing the construction of a 100,000-square-foot, three-rink facility with Breakaway Skate Center of Newport Beach at an undeveloped park site on Olympiad Road near Alicia Parkway.

Residents said that a major commercial venture shouldn’t be in a neighborhood park. They also asked the city to require an environmental impact report for the project.

“What they’re proposing is . . . three rinks and parking for 250,” said Kristin Ciaramitaro, who lives near the park. “It’s a for-profit enterprise that is not conducive to our definition of a neighborhood park, which should serve people within a half-mile.”

Ciaramitaro said she and several of her neighbors plan to bring their concerns to the City Council tonight.

No formal application has been submitted to the city, although Skate Center representatives have been discussing the roller hockey rink with recreation officials for several weeks.

Three weeks ago, Parks and Recreation Director Kelly Doyle attended a community meeting with neighborhood residents to discuss the proposal.

After roller hockey enthusiasts pleaded for city help in finding sites for the fast-growing sport, the City Council last October directed recreation staff to research possible locations for a facility.