Open Space, Open Questions

The county will soon begin reviewing a massive development plan for the remaining 23,000 acres of undeveloped land owned by Rancho Mission Viejo. In a surprise last week, Supervisor Tom Wilson set up some study groups, which appeared to be a welcome move, because it looked as if the company’s plans were going to be rammed through. A local study is good in concept, but there may be problems in not sending the plan directly through the Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) program, which would guarantee a more scientific and objective evaluation.

The program was initiated by the state Resources Agency as a means of complying with the Endangered Species Act. It was promoted by former Gov. Pete Wilson and strongly supported by major landowners, including the Irvine Co. and Rancho Mission Viejo, the cities, the county, and state and federal resource agencies. Landowners and developers, who were frustrated with the time-consuming process of complying with the federal law on a project-by-project basis, agreed to plan their large land holdings through the NCCP program.

The goal is to preserve large acres of critical habitat while allowing development on other, less-sensitive lands. Under the NCCP, large contiguous land holdings can be planned as a cohesive unit rather than on a piecemeal basis. The NCCP is, without question, the best process available to identify and save our disappearing wildlife while providing for reasonable development.

One of the other outstanding benefits is that state and federal dollars are made available for acquiring critical habitat lands that are identified by the planning program. In 1993, Tony Moiso, chairman of Rancho Mission Viejo, promised county, state and federal officials that he would sit down to plan the development of Rancho Mission Viejo using the NCCP program. Shortly after making this commitment, however, Moiso pleaded with the county to let the company do Ladera Ranch and then it would participate in the NCCP on the rest of the property. The Board of Supervisors bought into this ruse and in 1996 approved 8,100 homes on the 4,000-acre Ladera project.

Moiso and DMB Associates, the Arizona-based developers of Ladera Ranch, have now submitted a plan to the county for the entire remaining 23,000 acres of undeveloped land on the ranch. Moiso and his uncle Richard O’Neill claim this plan was years in the making--by them--and therein lies the problem. They did not go through the NCCP as promised and consequently their development plan is devised totally without input by qualified independent scientists and without including the state and federal resource agencies and the county in the planning phases. The only interests represented in this plan are those of the landowners and an out-of-state developer.

DMB Associates teamed with Moiso in 1996 when Ladera Ranch was assembled piecemeal from the rest of Rancho Mission Viejo. It is once again partnering with him in circumventing the NCCP program. DMB obviously has no sentimental ties or appreciation of the land and looks upon Rancho Mission Viejo as just another business venture. This explains in part why the proposed plan does not preserve irreplaceable sections of the ranch that have tremendous wildlife and habitat value but instead shows development in these areas.

While Moiso has reneged on a promise to participate in the NCCP program, the Irvine Co. voluntarily went through it. Where Tony Moiso will not even come to the table to discuss acquisition of portions of Rancho Mission Viejo for preservation, the Irvine Co. has donated huge portions of their land as permanent open space. Their latest gift to future generations is the magnanimous dedication of 11,000 acres of permanent open space in the east Orange area, and it should be noted that there are no strings attached to this gift.

If Moiso’s current plan stands, it would not be difficult to see the differences in the legacies of these two major landholders. The Irvine Co. and Chairman Donald L. Bren have provided Orange County with vast, contiguous, untouched land that assures the survival of native wildlife in the foothills and canyons bordering the Cleveland National Forest.

In contrast, Moiso and DMB’s plan for Rancho Mission Viejo without proper review could destroy vast areas of habitat that are crucial to the support of mountain lions, golden eagles, mule deer; land that has been documented by worldwide renowned scientists to contain the largest contiguous populations of rare and endangered species in Southern California. Is this what the Moiso and O’Neill families want to be remembered for?

The NCCP program is the best and only hope for a win-win situation that keeps the Moiso family financially whole and leaves to Orange County’s children the legacy they deserve. There will be a lot of attention to this process. What Wilson has done is good, but he needs to step back from his study plan and be sure that he doesn’t create a conflict for himself on something that awaits his vote.

It will be up to the Board of Supervisors to make sure the rules are applied equally to both major landowners in this county. If the NCCP program was good enough for the Irvine Co. lands, no less should be expected for Rancho Mission Viejo.