Housing vs. Open Space in Rancho Mission Viejo

Regarding your July 31 article “Planning Simmers in ‘Hot Spot’ for Species,” I want to add a couple of key points that seem to get forgotten by those most eager to see this development proceed at any cost.

More than a decade ago, the landowners of Rancho Mission Viejo agreed to participate in the Natural Communities Conservation Planning process before they submitted plans to develop the ranch. But in the mid-1990s, they obtained approval to build more than 8,000 homes on Ladera Ranch (part of Rancho Mission Viejo) without going through the NCCP process as they had originally agreed to do.

Once again, the owners of Rancho Mission Viejo are hoping to avoid the NCCP process by submitting a 14,000-unit development plan for the rest of the ranch to the county for processing, without going through the NCCP process.

Thanks to the watchful eyes of an alert public and particularly to Supervisor Tom Wilson, this plan has been tabled while the undeveloped portions of Rancho Mission Viejo go through the NCCP process and Wilson’s South County Outreach and Review Effort.

The goal is to retain land for development while preserving the most environmentally sensitive, “hot spot” areas, the very heart and soul of Orange County. We all need to support these prudent approaches to planning and encourage the government officials responsible for the NCCP and Supervisor Wilson and his SCORE process to stay the course.

Everyone can win with this approach. Development can occur to provide the landowner his due profit, while preserving sufficient habitat area to make sure that our children and future generations will still be able to see animals in the wild and not just at zoos.

Shirley Grindle

Orange

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Thank you for recognizing the unique opportunity we all have to achieve a win-win solution for the future of the 23,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo. This is truly a test case for the planning process for this special land and one we cannot afford to miss.

Natural Communities Conservation Planning is a process recognized by many experts as the best way to balance economic and environmental needs. It’s a process designed by former Gov. Pete Wilson and agreed to by both the Rancho Mission Viejo landowners and Orange County a decade ago.

The very fate of the “heart and soul” of South County, Rancho Mission Viejo, is at stake with this important planning process. Also at stake is the quality of life we want to pass on to our children and all future generations.

We are committed to working together in a collaborative approach with the community and the Rancho Mission Viejo landowners to achieve a win-win solution that will retain land for development while preserving the most environmentally sensitive areas that were mentioned in your article and have been identified by experts.

Furthermore, we are committed to working with the landowner on a solution that will be a tip of the hat to the long-standing ranching lifestyle and the land stewardship we understand are so important to the landowner.

We recognize the value of this special land and the contribution the landowner has made to this land’s history, scenic landscapes and natural resources, clean air and clean water, and quality of life for South County residents.

And that’s why we should settle for nothing less than an outcome that would uphold these values for our region.

We also applaud county Supervisor Wilson and his SCORE process for ensuring that planning for this important land is based on community and scientific input. We support Wilson’s bold commitment as should all South County residents and encourage the Rancho Mission Viejo landowners to join with us to make preservation of the most important portions of this special land a reality.

Dan Silver

Endangered Habitats League

Los Angeles

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While there is substantial evidence pointing to Rancho Mission Viejo as an important component of a globally significant biological “hot spot,” one need not consider this as the sole reason to call for maximum preservation.

Simply drive the Ortega Highway or Antonio Parkway and look at the magnificent open space that is still largely intact.

Then make the connection between that open space and the quality of life we enjoy in Orange County.

If that land ever becomes the resting place for a sea of red-tiled roofs or scattered ranchettes and “hidden” developments, make no mistake, Orange County will no longer be a fine place to live.

We already have serious traffic and air- and water-quality problems to tackle due to previous development. Would another 14,000 homes peppering Orange County’s “last frontier” help solve these problems?

Of course not. So what is there to do? At the moment, the NCCP process offers an approach to planning that has potential for success. It is a difficult process, but it is one that could help identify the important areas to preserve first, then plan appropriate development elsewhere.

And Supervisor Wilson should be congratulated for taking planning to the next logical step: his SCORE process.

As a veteran of more than a decade of Orange County land-use planning (not the least of which involved other Rancho Mission Viejo developments) and one very familiar with the disastrous results caused by ill-advised, piecemeal development, I am encouraged by Rancho Mission Viejo’s desire to plan the remaining ranch and participate in the NCCP process.

As long as we all recognize that large areas of open space are essential to preserving both unique biological resources and quality of life and that development impacts are not contained by the boundary of the developer’s land, we will have the basis for a successful outcome.

Pete DeSimone

Director of Sanctuaries

and Stewardship,

National Audubon Society/

Audubon California

Manager,

Starr Ranch Sanctuary

Trabuco Canyon

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It seems that NCCP provides assurances for developers but few for endangered species. The current Rancho Mission Viejo proposal is unacceptable and will not provide the protection that the sensitive natural communities need. It’s unfortunate that Rancho Mission Viejo Vice President Richard Broming is dismissing scientific data as environmental propaganda. Tell that to the many experts who endorse the Conservation Biology Institute’s study on Rancho Mission Viejo. South County, indeed coastal Southern California, is a global extinction “hot spot,” and Rancho Mission Viejo is at the heart of it.

Lori Whalen

Huntington Beach