Mission Viejo Ca Development And Redevelopment

Using Mello-Roos bonds to pay for projects in undeveloped areas can be risky even in Orange County, as was shown recently when two major firms failed to pay their tax bills for a site just northwest of Mission Viejo. Here's what happened at Portola Hills, a project of the Baldwin Co. and J.M. Peters Co.

Rancho Mission Viejo Co. will unveil a preliminary development proposal today for the last large parcel of privately owned open space in south Orange County, angering environmentalists who had expected to be in on the planning from the start.

Betting on the vast commercial potential of South County, one of the nation's largest shopping-center developers confirmed plans Monday for a mammoth expansion of the Mission Viejo Mall. Despite the pall that hangs over the retail industry, Edward J. DeBartolo Corp., which owns the mall, said it will move forward with a $110-million renovation that will add a fourth major department store to the 13-year-old retail complex. The project may get a $6-million boost from the city.

It was 9:15 a.m. on a Friday, and the parking lot at the Montanoso Recreation Center in Mission Viejo was jammed. Inside, heads bobbed to the beat of a Jazzercise tape. Legs pumped on the Lifecycles and treadmills. The pool outside churned with morning water aerobics class. The tennis courts were alive with smashes and volleys. Just another day in this South County city.

James Barton was only blocks from his lakeside home in Mission Viejo recently when he was startled to see an Orange County sheriff's deputy holding a shotgun to the back of a suspect who was leaning over a car. "It made me realize that it can happen here," said Barton, an insurance executive who lives with his family in the exclusive Andalusia neighborhood that borders the eastern shoreline of Lake Mission Viejo.

A proposal to build a youth dance club has drawn opposition from city officials who are nervous about adults socializing with teen-agers. Although a Planning Commission vote was delayed on Monday, commissioners received a report from Police Lt. Randy Blair who opposed granting a permit to Shout West, a nightclub catering to teen-agers in which no alcohol would be served.

The city will hold a grand opening ceremony for the new skateboard park at Beebe Park at 10 a.m. Aug. 18. The opening will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony; city officials have been invited to attend. Kelly Doyle, the director of Recreation and Community Services, said the city hopes to have some skateboard vendors in attendance as well. The park will be open from 7 a.m. until dusk seven days a week.

Legacy Partners of Irvine plans to break ground this month on a $45-million office project in Mission Viejo, the company said. The planned 232,000-square-foot complex, consisting of two four-story buildings, is to be constructed on 10 acres along Interstate 5 near Crown Valley Parkway. It will be called Mission Ridge and is a speculative development. Mission Ridge is slated for completion next September, Legacy Senior Vice President Erik Hansen said in an announcement.

They say you can't fight city hall. In Mission Viejo, just finding the place can be a challenge. Little green signs point the way through tidy neighborhoods and past strip malls to an office park and a generic glass box with industrial carpet inside. City Hall is a second-floor rental. Sandwiched between lawyers and real estate agents, it is a symbol of governmental authority in an anti-government age. "We get school and Boy Scout tours here," said Dan Joseph, Mission Viejo's city manager.

The Planning Commission has approved AT&T Wireless Services' request to construct a wireless telecommunications facility at the World Cup Soccer Center, 27301 La Paz Road. AT&T Wireless plans call for three panel antennas to be mounted on two of the existing field light standards at the facility. In addition, AT&T plans to locate electronic equipment within a decorative block wall built to match an adjacent enclosure at the site.