Subcommittee idea frozen

A roadblock was thrown up Tuesday on the information highway between the City Council and Athens Group’s Aliso Creek project.

Community members successfully lobbied the council to take no action on a proposal to create a council sub-committee that would periodically relay information at public hearings about the redevelopment project at Aliso Creek.

“The perception of a committee is bad,” said South Laguna resident Ginger Wallace. “It leads to contentious situations like we had at Montage.”

Wallace identified herself as a “Montage Warrior,” among the highly visible segment of the community that opposed the Montage Resort & Spa project as it was approved by the City Council, and a vote of the public.

“Keep [the process open] or you are going to have a bloodbath like Montage,” Wallace said.

Mayor Pro Tem Kinsman and Mayor Jane Egly sponsored the proposed sub-committee, but Egly recanted at the meeting.

“The developer needs a conduit to the council so that we know what’s going on,” Kinsman said. “They don’t have it, so we are not getting information. We need this information to do our job.”

Kinsman’s intent was simply to provide a means of updating the council and the community on the project, not to negotiate.

“You are concerned that we are getting no information, but some people in the community think we need to involve them more,” Egly said.

Athens Group has yet to complete its application for the project, but Wallace and other community members are on record with their recommendations for the project, which include opposition to a residential component in the redevelopment of the former Ben Brown’s Golf Course and structures on the site.

The council held a special meeting in May at the request of Village Laguna and South Laguna Civic Assn. for public comment on the proposal while it was still in incubation. The meeting was an exception to the normal process of public comment being taken after a formal project is proposed.

Penny Elia said the May meeting, which included a presentation by Athens Group, was not what she expected. She urged the council to hold a workshop instead.

“No dog and pony show by Athens Group, no power point by us,” Elia said. “Open the file and just sit down and go through it.”

The project file is available for review at the counter in City Hall.

“Anyone can go and look at it,” Councilman Kelly Boyd said.

The city web site, www.lagunabeachcity.net, also has a link to the Aliso Creek Area Development Plan.

Environmental Committee member and frequent critic of city policies Lisa Marks said she thinks the usual process is backward.

Marks said she believes the developer should be made aware of what the community will accept before hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent. The council ultimately makes the decision on uses and designs as proposed by the applicant.

“It is not the council’s job to design projects except for public projects,” City Attorney Philip Kohn said.

Athens Group has elected to bundle its application with requested amendments to the city’s local coastal plan and general plan, a costly, but more expeditious, way to go.

Frank said the city benefits by getting to see the whole package at one time.

However, applicants have been known to plead their investment as a reason to approve a project.

“There was a suggestion that the council might feel compelled to accept [a proposal] because of all the work that has been done,” City Manager Ken Frank said. “I do not feel that compulsion.”

Boyd pointed out that the Aliso Canyon project is probably three months away from a proposal.

“No one has to go down there and pound on their door,” Boyd said.

All communications from the developer are funneled to the city staff and the consulting planner chosen by the council and paid for by Athens Group to shepherd the project through the entitlement, development and construction process.

“To this point all of the contact with Athens Group/Montage has been through the city staff,” Kinsman said. “There has been no council involvement in this extremely important project.”

The agenda bill proposed by Kinsman and Egly suggested that sub-committee oversight would ensure that the development process comports with city policies.

“Such a sub-committee might also provide an avenue to suggest to the council a development agreement that could bring numerous benefits to the community beyond those which might otherwise be secured through the normal entitlement process,” Kinsman said.

Anne Christoph said Paul Freeman and Wayne Peterson had served in that capacity during the formulation of a memo of understanding with Athens Group for the development of Montage, which has been criticized as too generous on the city’s part.

Egly said upon reflection since she signed the bill that it might be too soon for the council to appoint a sub-committee.

“Regular updates from staff would be helpful,” Councilwoman Elizabeth Schneider said. “People feel like they are in the dark.”

Precisely why Kinsman proposed the sub-committee, Egly said.

Councilwoman Toni Iseman opined that sub-committees inhibit communication.

“We can’t have less than no information — and that’s what we have now,” Kinsman said.

More detailed information will be discussed publicly when the application is completed. Two scoping sessions, rather than the usual one, have been approved. Oral or written comments by the public will be addressed in the environmental impact report for the project.

For more information about the process, e-mail consultant Kathy Lottes at klottes@hogleireland.com or call (949) 553-1427.