Foothills Sentry May 2024

Foothills Sentry Page 2 MAY 2024 jadtec.com $ 15 95 /mo as low as SECURITY JADTEC HELLO SPRING 714 282 0828 | jadtec.com aco 4202 AND WHILE YOU’RE AWAY, PEACE-OF-MIND PROTECTION Fate of Sully-Miller property open for lopsided discussion By Tina Richards East Orange residents were hopeful, but measured, when they learned that Milan Capital, owner of the eyesore Sully-Miller prop- erty on Santiago Canyon Road, was willing to negotiate with the city over potential mutually agreeable uses for the land. Milan had twice attempted to build houses on the 109-acre site, projects that would have required the city to change the proper- ty’s zoning. The developer was thwarted first when the planning commission and city council re- jected the plan, and second by a voter referendum that overturned the city’s approval of a zone change. Milan spent the next several years stockpiling dirt and con- struction debris on the land, cre- ating 40-ft.-tall mounds of unre- corded waste. Last year, new state legisla- tion encouraged Milan to file two housing project proposals: one for the Sully-Miller site; the other for the horse arena property across the street, which is zoned for housing on one acre lots. SB330 gave developers latitude to override local land-use laws and left cities with few options to preserve local zoning. Housing on hold In February, the Orange City Council approved an agreement with the landowner to put the housing project applications on hold for six months to allow the parties to evaluate non-residential uses of the property. The coun- cil named Mayor Dan Slater and Councilmembers Gutierrez and John Gyllenhammer to represent the city in those negotiations. It also allowed the negotiations be held in public. The first meeting, April 17, was largely a disappointment to the two dozen residents who at- tended. The named committee members were there, as was City Manager Tom Kisela and City Attorney Mike Vigliotta. Milan sent its consultants Frank Elfend and Carmen Morinello, but none of the principals attended. Noting the number of residents in the room, Slater said this first meeting would be a forum for his colleagues and community members to express their “vi- sion for the site.” “The goal,” he said, “is that both sites would not be developed. So how do we get there?” No surprises Gutierrez advocated for open space, a nature park, an extension of Santiago Oaks Park. “We have to remember the General Plan and overlay plans call for open space,” she said. Gyllenhammer agreed that pas- sive open space should be priori- tized, but he was open to recre- ational use – pickleball, tennis courts, tot lots – as a compromise. Slater acknowledged that in a perfect world, the site would be restored as a natural area, but the city also needs recreational op- portunities, so he would consider a hybrid approach. “We’re putting the cart before the horse,” OPA resident John Reina pointed out. “We need to hear from Milan about its plans. We want this area cleaned up, and we can’t decide what we want to do until it is.” Reina was refer- ring to the environmental test- ing of the mounds mandated by the Local Enforcement Agency (LEA) and the clean-up that will be required once the composition of the buried materials is deter- mined. Landowner silence Several other residents also noted that, “You can’t dream about someone else’s property,” and that it was imperative to un- derstand what Milan is willing to do. Does it plan to clean up the property? Does it want to sell the property? To who? If so, at what price? If not, then what will the company accept as a compro- mise? Asked to provide some insight, Elfend reported that, “We’re not here to speak. Just to take notes.” The ensuing one-way conver- sation was far from the “negotia- tions” the residents attending the meeting expected. “This meeting is for dialogue and discussion,” Kisela had confirmed at the on- set. “We don’t expect to solve it today.” “Dialogue and discussion,” however, suggested more than a monologue, with residents re- peating what they’ve been saying for a decade: open space, defer- ence to specific plans, protections for Santiago Creek, a wildlife corridor. And, the more recent re- frain: Milan made the mess, it has to clean it up. The city, county or taxpayers should not be expected to bail out the builder. The specter of those applica- tions for SB330 housing loomed large in the background. Kisela, at one point, told the audience, “It’s either those applications, or some other option.” A never-ending story Or not. Resident Kim Plein re- minded the council that SB330 does not apply to the Sully-Miller property because it is still under the jurisdiction of LEA/CalRe- cycle. “Milan is testing that site based on a recreational use,” she said. “A housing development requires a different set of testing standards. They can’t build on it until CalRecycle says they can. It’s a moot point.” Adrienne Gladson appreciated the opportunity to speak about the site, but, “What I want is irrel- evant. You are the council mem- bers who will decide what hap- pens on that property, but voters have already told you what they want. Don’t lose sight of the 2020 referendum. They want open space. You guys need to figure it out with the property owner.” “We need to hear from Milan,” Gyllenhammer said, “but com- promise could include some sort of recreation along with a passive use.” “What is Milan willing to do,” Gutierrez asked, “what are they proposing?” A subsequent meeting will be scheduled “as soon as possible.” The Women’s Club of Orange re- ports its 85th annual Flower Show, held April 4, was a blooming suc- cess, raising close to $10,000 for the organization’s philanthropies. The competition attracted 223 en- tries and over 500 visitors. Two professional master gardeners, not associated with the Women’s Club, served as judges. They awarded Best Rose to Jennifer Chen; Best in Show to Sandy Georgi; and Best Theme Arrangement to Dar- lene Maeda. The Club President's Choice went to Paul Todd; Judges' Choice to Luvi Velasco; and Best in Junior Division to Emersyn Keil. Elk Tim Smith helped deliver 170 Easter baskets given to the children at Esplanade and Palmyra Elementary Schools by the Orange Elks Emblem Club. Emblem Club members read with the children and help with the after-school library program.