RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA : Activists Oppose Tentative Horno Plans
A handful of environmentalists attended a county Planning Commission hearing this week to oppose conceptual plans for a 5,000-acre community south of Rancho Santa Margarita.
“It looks bleak, nobody knows about this,” said Pete DeSimone, manager of the Audubon Society’s Starr Ranch Sanctuary. “In the meantime, we’ll have a new city here.”
DeSimone, disappointed that more did not show up to oppose the project Tuesday, said he’s afraid approval of even a preliminary plan will give company officials a vested right to build the development.
After hearing from county staff members, a few local residents and San Clemente officials, county planners continued the hearing to Aug. 22.
Representatives of the development firm, the Santa Margarita Co., say their plans to develop the land, known as the Horno area, remain a minimum of five years away.
County officials looking to extend Antonio Parkway through the unincorporated Horno area as a freeway alternative had asked the company to create preliminary plans. The county wanted to align its roadway extension with future streets.
The commission is looking at reports on environmental impact, traffic and land use under the county general plan, for both the road extension and the preliminary community plan.
“The county is taking a proactive effort in planning for the future of this county,” said Santa Margarita Co. spokeswoman Diane Gaynor.
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