Proposed City Tries to Map Out Good Relations

Rancho Santa Margarita planners don’t have a city on their hands yet, but that’s not keeping them from redrawing imaginary boundaries and striving for smooth relations with neighbors.

Proponents who want Rancho Santa Margarita’s cityhood proposal on the November ballot said Tuesday that they are willing to cede away 600 acres of pristine parkland from their previously approved boundaries, a move that will smooth the road to the election and appease Trabuco Canyon residents who cherish the open space.

At a meeting today of the Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees cityhood efforts, officials are expected to approve the boundary change that would transfer part of O’Neill Regional Park from the proposed city of Rancho Santa Margarita to the unincorporated community of Trabuco Canyon.

Canyon residents have long argued the land is historically significant. Given to Trabuco Canyon in the 1940s, it was a gift from the O’Neill family who helped settle the area and after whom the wilderness park is named. The acreage acts as a physical buffer between their rural community and the more densely developed community of Rancho Santa Margarita.

“We’re just asking for something that’s been a vital part of our community forever,” said Susan Saroski, a Trabuco Canyon resident.

While including this portion of the park in Rancho Santa Margarita’s cityhood plans would not restrict residents’ access to the area, many Trabuco Canyon residents were distraught over its symbolic loss.

The site is a popular gathering place for Trabuco Canyon residents to hold Halloween parties and firefighter appreciation potlucks, Saroski said.

Residents are so attached to the area that at one point, some considering hiring an attorney. But that won’t be necessary, said Rancho Santa Margarita cityhood planners, who approve the transfer.

“It’s fine with us--our goal is to make sure everybody is happy,” said Rancho Santa Margarita Cityhood spokesman Gary Thompson.

Incorporation officials also support the change, saying it’s best for the community to start life as a new city without border disputes with its neighbors.

Planners are expected to meet today to resolve the issue, which was the only controversy standing in the way of incorporation efforts. The next step is for the Board of Supervisors to meet July 27 and decide whether to place the matter on the ballot.

If the ballot measure is approved by a majority of the area’s 40,000 residents, Rancho Santa Margarita will become Orange County’s 33rd city, effective Jan. 1.

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New City, New Border

The proposed city of Rancho Santa Margarita wants to get off on the right foot with its neighbors, so advocates are willing to change their planned boundaries to cede 600 acres of parkland to the Trabuco Canyon area.