Home Ranch tests council curfew
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] .
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