Politics & Government

City Angles for Influence on Big Rancho Project

San Clemente is warned to keep an eye on the massive Rancho Mission Viejo development, which could strain city coffers and infrastructure.

Although the massive 23,000-acre Ranch Plan housing and business development at the edge of San Clemente is still far from breaking ground, advisers warned city officials this week to keep a close eye on it.

When completed, the Rancho Mission Viejo Company project would likely crowd local roads, beaches and parks, straining city services and coffers, members of the city's

Noting that part of the project could eventually become part of San Clemente, one panel member said, "We are going to want to jump in and influence what's going on back there from time to time."

Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The committee tweaked a draft of San Clemente's overarching zoning and land use plan that addresses the Ranch Plan.

A 2005 county document outlining the Ranch Plan's infrastructure demands asserted that 982 acres at the end of Avenida Pico could be annexed into the city of San Clemente.

Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The site sits beneath the TRW Area, which subsequently became the Northrop Grumman Capistrano Test Site, a facility first build on the north end of to test lasers associated with the Star Wars defense program in the 1980s. It was later operated by Northrop Grumman, but Councilman Jim Dahl said they have closed up shop and are dismantling the installation.

The acreage, known as Planning area 8, would hold as many as 1,400 homes, according to a 2004 city document.

The city already signed off on the plans, but has a representative who tracks the development plan's progress.

"We regularly monitor the progress of the Rancho Mission Viejo Ranch Plan and communicate regularly with Rancho Mission Viejo and the County of Orange," a draft of the general plan said.

The draft also says if any changes are made to the building plan, the city should "oppose amendments resulting in any net long-term fiscal cost to the city."

Committee member Bill Hart, backed by a committee consensus, told the contractor and city staffers drawing up the plan to make the language more aggressive, considering how large the project on the city borders was going to be.

"We are going to want to jump in and influence what's going on back there from time to time," Hart said. "There's part of [the Ranch Plan] in the TRW Area that very well could become part of the city. This is a very important aspect of what we're going to do with our long-range planning. Changes to our sphere of influence should yield long-term fiscal benefits."

Related:


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here