Foothills Sentry - December 2022

Page 3 Foothills Sentry December 2022 Progressive Thinking Catholic Worship Sunday Mass 9:30am www.holyangelsOC.com Priest: (657) 282-9009 Office: (714) 584-8078 19211 Dodge Ave. North Tustin, CA 92705 Christmas Eve Christmas Carols 9:00 PM Midnight Mass 10:30 PM Christmas Morning Mass 9:30AM A Starry Night A Baby King This Christmas Hear the Angels Call 7540 E. Chapman Ave. Orange, CA 92869 (714) 639-9792 MEAT&DELI, PRODUCE, BAKERY, FRESH FISH, GIFT BASKETS, WINE MON-SAT: 8am - 9pmSUN: 8am - 8pm www.Pac i�i cRanchMarket.com $ OFF Excluding alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. With coupon only. May not be combined with any other offer or discount. Limit one coupon per customer. Valid only at P aci�ic Ranch Market. When You Spend $25 or More * EXPIRES: 12/31/22 5 OC’s Premier ProduceMarket "Housing" continued from page 1 appointed trustee. A portion of the main building is subleased to 24 Hour Fitness; CVS and Trader Joe’s are subleasing parcels closer to Tustin Street. Allen Buchanon, spokesman for the Hite family, reported that the rent from those subleases is about $700,000 a year, and the trustee likely sees that as “better than nothing” for the bankrupt re- tailer. Meanwhile, Sears has been uncooperative regarding main- tenance and cleanup of the now- blighted facility, as is the finan- cial trustee. “It’s an interesting position,” Buchanon says. “The family owns the site, but not the rights to it.” The JCPenney site was pur- chased by Integral Communities in 2020. The property was zoned commercial at the time, but the company’s intention has always to build two- and three-story townhomes there. Its current pro- posal is for 297 units, ranging from 1,200 to 1,900 sq. ft. The remainder of the property is owned by TRC, a company that boasts 30 retail properties in California. Of the 35 acres in Orange held by TRC, Walmart has control of 10 of them. TRC spokesman Scott Grady reports that his company wants to demolish the existing mall, keeping Sprouts and Home Goods, for a net loss of 75,000 sq. ft. of retail space. Grady advised that there is a high demand for eating spaces, but right now, the mall has “no quality place to put them.” Gotta have hearths Grady stressed that a residential component is essential to sustain any mall development. The new neighbors would take advantage of “daily use” establishments (sa- lons, dry cleaners) and keep the center humming. He also noted that economics have forced every mall in Orange County (except South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island) to reinvent itself. Today’s consumers, he said, demand inno- vations and experiences. The audience at the Oct. 26 meeting was assured that the proposed housing units, at 20 per acre, was not high density. Daily car trips generated by resi- dential use would be 4,500 a day less than what a successful mall would produce. Both Integral and TRC have been willing to work with the city and the mall’s neighbors to come up with an acceptable redevelopment plan for the area. But they don’t have to. Recent state legislation, AB2011, allows owners of commercial properties to replace retail space with housing. They can do so with or without mixed-use zoning, and local jurisdictions can do little to stop them. Carte blanche? California Assembly Bill 2011, effective in July 2023, provides a “streamlined ministerial approval pathway for qualifying multifam- ily projects on commercial zoned land that pay prevailing wages for construction work and meet spec- ified affordable housing targets.” There are restrictions and condi- tions that apply to these projects, giving local jurisdictions a sliver of control. Despite the specter of AB2011 and the developers’ claims that housing is essential to support the commercial elements of the property, many neighbors remain opposed to the concept. “What is the city’s vision for redevelopment?” Jim Dinwiddie asked. “What are we refining? The housing concept is too dense. Where is the water and electricity coming from?” “The property should be pre- served as a mall and gathering place,” Margy Costello said. “Create interesting shopping and dining. More housing is already being built throughout the city. We need to preserve this space as commercial, not slice and dice according to what the developers want.” “We need to restage Orange for retail,” Jeff Lawrence advised. “The mall has great potential,” Michael Fischer agreed. “There are nearly two million people within a 10-mile radius. Housing deprives the city of retail space.” “Can the city get a profession- al to look into AB2011,” Erika deVries asked, “to see how big a threat it really is?” The next public meeting is scheduled for Jan. 26. The Orange Elks were silver star sponsors for the Veterans Day Field of Valor, honoring 50 lodge servicemen and women. Held at Handy Park in Orange, the Field of Valor features 1,776 flags, each bearing the name, branch, and service record of a veteran, where they served, and a colored ribbon. There were six ribbon colors: yellow, returned home alive; blue, Medal of Honor recipient; purple, Purple Heart recipient; white, POW who returned home; and black, killed, missing in action or prisoner of war. Orange Elks member Mike Jung was honored with a flag; Jung served in the Army, and is a Vietnam veteran. His flag bears a yellow and a purple ribbon. Elks honor veterans at Field of Valor Sid Gauna and Jack Peralta observed their day, along with a crowd of some 200 celebrants, at the Veterans Memorial at Depot Park, Nov. 11 Kyle Brooks, Joe Vera, Jeff Metzger and Robert Trudeau were saluted for their service during a ceremony featuring patriotic music and trib- utes delivered by elected officials. Buglers Larry Grossman and Kevin Richardson opened the program with a “Call to Attention” and closed it with “Taps” Photos by Tony Richards Conceptual design of Village at Orange mall housing Mike Jung