Housing vs. wildfire safety debate ends in favor of 181-unit Trabuco Canyon project
- Share via
Having survived continued efforts to scuttle it, a decades-long plan to develop land in Trabuco Canyon into a 181-home community known as Saddleback Meadows is still moving ahead, following a decision last week by the Orange County Board of Supervisors that was reported on by my colleague Gabriel San Román.
It’s been a long saga for the project, which has been scaled down considerably since 1998 when it was proposed as a 705-home development over 222 acres near Live Oak Canyon and El Toro Road in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. That proposal came 18 long years after the county Board of Supervisors first zoned the site as “Saddleback Meadows Planned Community.”
So, while it’s been eyed for housing for more than 45 years, lawsuits filed by St. Michael’s Abbey, the Ramakrishna monastery and several environmental groups delayed and eventually led to the much more modest project put forth by the developer, California Quartet, which received approval of the tract map from the supervisors last June and the necessary setback permits from the county Planning Commission in January of this year.
After the commission OK’d the setbacks, a new appeal was filed against the project by Saddleback Canyons Conservancy and Rural Canyons Conservation, according to the TimesOC story. It was this appeal that was considered last week by the Board of Supes.
The appellants maintained that such a development would endanger residents in a high wildfire hazard zone. They also had, as the names of their respective organizations suggest, additional environmental concerns over the project.
“We’re asking you to hit pause on the project,” Gloria Sefton, co-founder of Saddleback Canyons Conservancy, told the supervisors. “Let’s do the fire evacuation, the fire ignition [and] the mountain lion study. Let’s get the water supply understood before we issue a use permit.”
A California Quartet representative, Mike Recupero, defended the project during the meeting and pointed out the appeal was specifically about the approval of the setbacks, not of the project as a whole, “and not one person here commented on the setbacks.”
Senior Assistant County Counsel Nicole Walsh noted that although the appellants were expressing their concerns about environmental issues, the project’s environmental review, which included close looks at wildfire safety, has been updated twice in recent years.
“The fire danger, according to the experts, has just not materialized and is not reason to stop this project,” Supervisor Don Wagner said. “We need the housing in the state of California. We need the housing in Orange County. No, there’s no affordable component to this, but if we build these houses … it frees up affordable housing in the rest of the rest of Orange County.” Wagner represents District 3, which includes Trabuco Canyon.
The majority of Wagner’s colleagues ultimately agreed. The final vote was 4-0 to deny the appeal, with Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento abstaining.
MORE NEWS
• Although the recent approved demolition of the vintage Big Newport movie theater to develop it into twin towers of condominiums was appealed by a member of the public, the City Council last week denied the appeal, paving the way for the residential project to move forward.
• The city of Laguna Beach has banned the sale of glue traps — devices designed to capture insects and rodents by means of an adhesive substance — and their use on public property. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaigned for the cause and proclaims on its website Laguna Beach is the fifth U.S. city to adopt such a ban.
• Ken Frank, who for 31 years was the top executive at Laguna Beach City Hall, serving as city manager from 1979 to 2010, passed away May 3, according to his family. He was 82.
BUSINESS
• Visitors to Rodeo 39 Public Market, a food hall in Stanton, will find a host of new places to dine, as the original five-year leases came to an end. “In today’s fast-moving world where folks are always looking for what’s new and fresh, it’s important to be able to bring new ideas, new energy, and the next wave of concepts that keep people coming back,” Rodeo 39’s developer, Dan Almquist, stated in a news release.
PUBLIC SAFETY
• A 13-year-old boy who had been riding an e-motorcycle at about 35 mph died at a hospital after losing control of the bike and crashing into a median in Garden Grove just before 10 p.m. last Thursday. In related news, Amazon announced it would stop selling high-speed e-bikes in California after a spate of fatal collisions.
• On Tuesday, arraignment was postponed until June 30 for Aliso Viejo resident Tommi Jo Mejer, 51, who is facing involuntary manslaughter and other charges for allegedly permitting her 14-year-old son to ride an e-motorcycle that fatally struck an 81-year-old man in April. Prosecutors contend Mejer allowed her son to use the motorized cycle despite being warned of its dangers, City News Service reports.
• A 26-year-old British man was arrested by Laguna Beach police early Saturday morning after he allegedly punched and seriously injured a 23-year-old who had been walking home from a business when he and two of his friends got into an argument with the visitor and another man in an alley off South Coast Highway.
SPORTS
• For the first time in the program’s history, the girls’ swim team at Costa Mesa High won the CIF Championship on Friday at Mt. San Antonio College.
• Also making big splashes in the Mt. Sac pool were Fountain Valley High junior Allyssa Ton and Newport Harbor High senior Connor Ohl, who both became repeat champions at the CIF Division 1 swim finals.
• The Angels fell to their 16th loss in 21 games Monday in road game against the Cleveland Guardians. The score was 7-2.
• Last night the Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights met in Game 5 of their Stanley Cup playoff series, with the outcome unavailable by this newsletter’s deadline. The Ducks prevailed 4-3 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals to even the series at 2-2 on Sunday.
LIFE & LEISURE
• The four-story parking structure at Lido Marina Village has become a canvas for muralists under a partnership between the shopping and dining mecca and City of Hope. The overall message of the art installation is “Hope is a Rising Tide.”
• A new bench honoring former President Theodore Roosevelt, known for his keen interest in environmental stewardship, was unveiled last Thursday outside of the Bolsa Chica Conservancy Interpretive Center. The Huntington Beach City Council recently declared May 7 to be Theodore Roosevelt Day in the city, the date chosen because May 7, 1903 was the first day the then-sitting president visited California.
• Yorba Linda resident Becky Yount, a fitness instructor who will turn 70 in July, was named one of three nationwide finalists as a SilverSneakers Instructor of the Year for her work with senior participants at 24 Hour Fitness locations. SilverSneakers is available at no cost for people ages 65 and up in some Medicare plans.
CALENDAR
• Brea Gallery’s annual juried “Made in California” exhibit is on view until June 28 at Brea Gallery, 1 Civic Center Circle, Brea. For details, visit breaartgallery.com. This year’s first place winner is Nataly Barajas, for her piece, “Granddaughter of a Wetback” (2025).
• Wild Rivers Waterpark, 10000 Great Park Blvd., Irvine, opens for the season this Saturday. The 2026 regular operating season ends on Sept. 7. For tickets and season passes, visit wildrivers.com
• The three-day Newport Beach Wine and Spirits Festival is coming up at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach and will run from May 22 to May 24. All events taking place throughout the festival are for adults only, 21+. For tickets and additional information, visit balboabayresort.com.
KEEP IN TOUCH
We appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.