Briefly in the news

City Council members and residents looking for a better understanding

of the proposed Home Ranch project will get their next chance to see the

site today.

Home Ranch, a 93-acre project originally scheduled for Planning

Commission review last year, was redesigned to add housing, as well as to

reduce building heights and the square-foot density of the proposed

office space.

The modified proposal for the site -- a lima bean farm bordered by the

San Diego Freeway, Fairview Road, Harbor Boulevard and Sunflower Avenue

-- calls for a 308,000-square-foot Ikea furniture store, 791,050 square

feet of office space, 252,648 square feet of industrial business and 464

homes.

Despite the redesign, the project has remained controversial.

Three homeowners associations -- Mesa North Community Assn.,

Halescrest/Hall of Fame Homeowners Assn. and Mesa Del Mar Homeowners

Assn. -- oppose the project because of worries that the project could

strain police and fire services, as well as increase traffic and urban

runoff.

The organizations also expressed concern about the density of the

proposed housing and the aesthetics of the Ikea store.

The city had its first tour of the Home Ranch property Friday and will

have two more tours. One will be from 9 to 11 a.m. today and the second

will occur between 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on May 12.

General information about the project and a discussion will be

included in the tours, which leave from the back of City Hall.

Reservations are required.

For more information, call (714) 754-5610.