Trabuco Deal Is Doable

On one recent weekend it seemed that the dispute over the bucolic property in Trabuco Canyon known as Saddleback Meadows finally would be solved, in the best possible way. Unfortunately, the deal fell apart.

Now Orange County supervisors have thrown in the towel and chosen to ignore warnings from federal and state wildlife officials that the proposed housing development in the canyon will not get the necessary permits. The county says it knows better, that its outside consultant has more wisdom on the matter and the wildlife corridor around the property is just fine for “small mammals.” Too small for large mammals, but that’s OK, says the county, because large mammals haven’t been seen around there anyway.

The county’s approval of building as many as 299 homes, granted in November, amounts to hanging out a sign reading: “So Sue Us.” Opponents have threatened to do just that.

There is a better way. The county needs to bring the property owners and the main players opposing a big development in the canyon together again. Remind everyone what’s at stake. See if after 20 years this controversy finally can be put to rest.

In the project’s most recent version, the developers plan to build the homes, probably costing $300,000 and up each, on 44 acres. That’s a small part of the total property, which is more than 200 acres. But the 44 acres are the ones best suited for construction.

The problem is that to build so many houses, dozens more acres outside the 44 will be affected by grading, tree cutting and other measures. An estimated 9 million cubic yards of earth will have to be moved in the grading, an enormous task that could take years.

The whole project will shatter the tranquillity of Trabuco Canyon, one of the bucolic areas of Orange County. It especially will sting two neighbors, St. Michael’s Abbey and the Ramakrishna Monastery.

The abbey and the monastery had offered $3.7 million for 178 acres of the plot; the county was going to add $1.5 million. The land would be preserved as open space, an amenity not overly abundant in Orange County. In return the developer would build fewer houses, use less of the 44 acres for construction, and leave a wildlife corridor larger than is now proposed. Reviving that agreement is worth another try.

Wildlife officials want birds and animals to be able to travel between preserves on both sides of the canyon, from O’Neill Regional Park to Cleveland National Forest. Trabuco is considered an essential part of the Natural Community Conservation Plan developed by Gov. Pete Wilson with the blessing of U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.

The county is supposed to have primary jurisdiction over such conservation plans, and county environmental officials say that although parts of the corridor would have gaps only 500 feet wide between homes, that’s good enough. The California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say that’s not so. The two agencies say the 299-home plan is “not acceptable.”

The developer’s representative says the proposed purchase of much of the property fell apart because of a disagreement over grading the property.

However, the developer is said to remain open to negotiations. An agreeable settlement would be preferable to lawsuits challenging the planning process or detrimental effects on the environment and the wildlife corridor.

The project once was approved for 700 mobile homes. When that was changed, a new project was supposed to conform to new county plans for the area, but that commitment has been shrugged off. Dueling donations in the case are a graphic demonstration of the role lobbyists and campaign contributions have played in the development of Orange County.

Supervisor Jim Silva has abstained from voting on Saddleback Meadows because its developer gave him laundered campaign contributions. The supervisor said he was unaware of the source of the $5,000 in donations, and the developer paid a $14,000 fine. Silva also benefited from donations from project opponents. A lobbyist for the abbey and monastery suggested contributions to Silva with notes urging him to oppose Saddleback Meadows.

Saddleback Meadows has seemed nearly cursed for the past 20 years. Two decades ago, county supervisors approved plans for more than 700 mobile homes on the plot. Previous owners of the property have gone bankrupt; economic busts ruled out any building.

With the economy better and with new owners, building plans have reappeared. Building a small development with a big wildlife corridor and preserving as much peace and quiet and as many views as possible for the monastery, the abbey and other neighbors should be everyone’s goal.

Let the developers build on the property, or sell it all if they wish, but solve the problem without lawsuits and in a way that is respectful of the pristine environment.