Home Ranch tests council curfew - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Home Ranch tests council curfew

Share via

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Council members will test last week’s decision to push

up meeting times by an hour and implement a mandatory midnight curfew

tonight at their first meeting regarding the Home Ranch project.

The City Council voted to change the meeting structure in order to

accommodate more public testimony. In addition, discussion of the

controversial Home Ranch development will be moved to the end of the

meeting in order to get other city business accomplished in a timely

fashion, officials said.

“We know what the City Council meetings are already like without this

project,†said city manager Allan Roeder, referring to recent meetings

lasting as late as 3 a.m.

“The council will be sure they are fair with the Home Ranch project as

well as try to accomplish the other needs on the agenda as well,†Roeder

added.

The Home Ranch project proposes a 17-acre Ikea furniture store,

791,500 square feet of office space, 252,648 square feet of industrial

and 192 homes. The Planning Commission gave the first approval to the

project that seeks to develop the former Segerstrom lima bean farm off

the San Diego Freeway on Sept. 25.

Plans for previous Home Ranch designs over the last 20 years have

garnered the approval of the both the Planning Commission and the City

Council, but found themselves stalled because of an outcry of public

opposition.

In its most recent form, the Home Ranch proposal will be presented to

the council, the last hurdle in the quest for approval.

Councilman Gary Monahan arguably pushed the hardest for the time

restrictions. All meeting times have been capped, including special

hearings for the Home Ranch project that will be held Oct. 29 and Nov. 13

-- if a decision has not been reached by then.

Robin Leffler, a member of Costa Mesa Citizens for Responsible Growth

and a vocal opponent of the Home Ranch project, said the timeline is far

too short. But she was glad the council made an effort to accommodate the

public.

Council members said the meetings should provide the public with

sufficient opportunity for input.

“Let’s face it, the council hasn’t been living in a vacuum. We are

pretty aware of the issues. I think five hearing dates is plenty of time

and if not, we can always have more,†Monahan said.

Leffler said her group was not planning a coordinated presentation for

tonight’s meeting and expected public comment to be relatively short.

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .

Advertisement