Developers Draw Fire Over Changes

Repeated requests by real estate developers seeking to amend previously approved housing plans has drawn fire from residents and some City Council members.

In two recent meetings, developers Lewis Homes and Bramalea California, which are building tracts in the Tustin Ranch area, asked the council to amend housing plans to include more types of homes.

Company representatives said the changes are needed because sales of the previously approved houses have been slow, indicating that customers are seeking more choices.

The developers’ requests were approved, but not before heated debate. Opponents said that the trend may allow projects to be downgraded.

“This council ought to send a message to developers that you had better keep your word,” resident Mark Franzen said.

Last month, Lewis Homes won its bid to add three new housing types to a planned 171-home development along Peters Canyon Road that had been approved in 1995. None of those homes have been built yet.

Then on July 1, Bramalea officials asked the council to approve changes to 70 planned homes in a 97-unit development near Tustin Ranch Road and Township Drive that had been approved in 1989. This angered many of the residents who already live in the neighborhood.

“I moved in based on a specific plan,” resident Carl Hammond said. “Who knows if six months from now there will be another change.”

Councilman Thomas R. Saltarelli voted against Bramalea’s request.

“Those people took the risk of buying the homes in the first phase, and it troubles me to see them put in a situation like this,” he said.

Mayor Tracy Wills Worley disagreed. “I understand the plight of homeowners who don’t want the development cheapened, but these are upgrades. We can’t punish the developers for changing market conditions.”