MISSION VIEJO : City Council OKs College Swap Meet

A community swap meet will be allowed to operate at Saddleback College, the City Council decided this week.

College officials said they will have the first swap meet on the weekend of Nov. 12 and 13.

Council members were impressed by the planning for parking, traffic and security that went into the proposal, presented on Monday.

“I was a doubting Thomas at the beginning of the process,” said Councilman Robert D. Breton. “I thought (the swap meet) was dead on arrival. I have slowly been convinced.”

Several business owners had expressed concern that the swap meet would take business away from local merchants.

The city Planning Commission called for an independent study that concluded the swap meet would not draw customers away from existing businesses.

The Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce expressed its support for the outdoor event at the council meeting.

Approving the swap meet required that the council amend the city General Plan to allow the sale of used goods at Saddleback College.

College officials said proceeds from the swap meet will be used to support student activities and other needs at Saddleback College.

This will be the second time the college has tried sponsoring a swap meet. The first attempt in 1986 failed for business reasons after less than a year.

Paul Berkery, a former Saddleback College Foundation president, said the swap meet is “an excellent opportunity to raise funds that are so hard to come by for the college.”