Opening Up About County’s Open Space

I would like to thank you for your recent coverage of open space issues. I am a resident of South County and I believe we must preserve the open space that is left to maintain our quality of life. I feel that the proposed Foothill South toll road will jeopardize our open space and the last bit of pristine environment we have left.

Phyllis Watson

San Juan Capistrano

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Re “O.C.’s Dilemma: More Housing or Open Space,” Aug. 12:

In their plan to develop 14,000 homes, Rancho Mission Viejo Land Co. fails to include a single “affordable” or subsidized unit. This brings into question the tired refrain of Orange County developers--they are only trying to solve the housing crisis.

Our housing crisis will not be solved by the proliferation of McMansions across our last remaining open space. It will be solved by revitalization, brown field cleanup and cooperative efforts between the public and private sector. Developments such as Rancho Mission Viejo’s dreamland of sprawl tie up capital that could otherwise be used on such efforts.

All I ask of any developer is to be honest and to follow the rules, yet I am constantly disappointed by their failure to do so.

Christopher Koontz

Orange

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There’s a small piece of land in Westminster, on the corner of Monroe and 15th Street, that may serve as a reminder of political arrogance. The land, bought by the city in 1995, was to become a neighborhood park in that low-income area. However, on June 28, 2000, with the land still vacant, the City Council reneged on the park promise and instead dedicated the land for a Vietnam War memorial.

Consider: This is the only piece of land that can be used for a park in this neighborhood, while the memorial can be located anywhere in the city, county, or region.

Consider: The children who were to be served by the park are designated “at-risk” by the Westminster police department.

Consider: Since 1995, Westminster has had the land plus hundreds of thousands in federal and city money, and five years to build a park, yet did nothing. Why?

My guess is that the City Council, once they had the land and the money, felt that building a park in a low-income neighborhood would do little to nurture their political egos. So they decided to use $625,000 to fund a Community Cultural Center; letting their egos feast on the adulation of people who really count, Westminster’s “cultural elite.”

Bob Crossley

Westminster