city clerk? Yes, thank you, mayor. Let the record show that we have all members of
council present in chambers, and we have
council member wheeler will lead the invocation. Will you pray with me? Dear lord in
heaven, we thank you so much that
you're with us tonight, lord.
we ask your blessings on this gathering where we deal with the subjects of the city.
we ask your guidance on these issues, that we may be able to make proper decisions
that will benefit our city, the state,
and our country.
in jesus' name we pray.
amen.
and I'm going to lead the pledge of allegiance.
and I would just like to state, if you'll stand, those of you who can stand.
I'm not one of you.
but we live in the greatest country in the world, 250 years, and we celebrate that.
and so we say the pledge of allegiance this time from the greatest little city in the
united states, laguna hills.
okay.
there we go.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
thank you.
all right.
so, first of all, I wanted to make a couple of comments, and then we're going to get
everything going.
I want to thank a lot of people for their thoughts and their prayers.
I had a pretty serious surgery to my foot almost three months ago.
but I managed to attend these meetings by zoom.
and I want to thank our mayor pro tem, jared mathis, for chairing these meetings on
my behalf,
even though I was in the room with you.
but it would have been logistically a little nuts for me to try to run the meeting,
and I really appreciate his stepping up and doing that.
I also want to introduce joshua stephenson, our new city clerk, and we want to
welcome you to your first meeting.
nothing like starting off with a bang, joshua.
absolutely.
okay.
so, with that, we are going to
we did that.
we're going to recess the city council meeting and call to order the joint meeting of
the city council and planning agency.
and, again, I'm going to ask the city clerk for the roll call of the agency members.
yes, mayor.
let the record show that all members of the city council and planning agency are
present in council chambers.
thank you.
okay.
and with that, we will begin.
the first item on the agenda, and I have moved the deck chairs around a little bit
from what we normally do for conditional
use permits, and the reason for that is because sometimes in these things, by the
time you get to speak, it's eight
or nine o'clock at night, even if we start early. So today, we're going to rearrange
that. We are going to do
a presentation from the ad hoc committee, which will be fairly short, followed by a
presentation from jennifer lowe, our director of community development,
and then about the project, which is the village at laguna hills.
and then we will hear a presentation from the applicant.
and then we'll go straight to public comments first.
because most of you who are here know what you want to say.
and I want to hear, we all want to hear, what you want to say.
and so rather than getting wrapped around the axle with a bunch of other stuff that
we do need to do, and
you're welcome to stay through all of it, we're going to give you first dibs.
and I'm just letting you know that ahead of time.
so we have here the village at laguna hills, a request by mgp fund x laguna hills llc
to modify the previously approved village
at laguna hills project to redevelop the former laguna hills mall site located at
24001 avenida de la carlota, unit b, and
23451 calle de la luisa, 24162 ronda del rossmoor, 24100,
24126, 24156, and 24300 laguna hills mall; approval of site development permit,
conditional use permits, master sign program, parking
use permit, amended vesting tentative tract map number 19123 for residential
condominium and commercial retail purposes
to subdivide 10 existing lots into 27.
the amended and restated development agreement number, use-0239-2025, and an
amendment to the urban village specific plan.
that's a mouthful.
so with that, I'm going to call for mayor pro tem mathis to present a short report
for the ad hoc committee.
thank you, mr.
mayor.
it is wonderful to see you back in the chair.
and I think we all agree.
and it's great to see all of you here tonight to participate in this process.
it's a long time coming.
I'm going to take you back in time real quick, back to january of 2025.
that's when we put together the ad hoc committee consisting of
mayor caskey and myself, playing on our industry experience to be able to sit down
with the applicant and take another swipe at this.
because from the project that had been approved, we didn't end up with a project that
was able to be built.
so we rolled up our sleeves to sit across the table from mgp to be able to get
something done.
and I'm just going to give you a brief 30,000-foot overview of what that process
and what our guiding principles were through that process before we get into the
details with the staff report.
so the two-person ad hoc committee, it was a different composition than what had been
working with mgp before.
we wanted to have a fresh look.
again, relying on the experience that we have in the industry, and to try to get this
over the finish line in a way
that makes sense for the city.
so the objective was to negotiate a project that's both aligned with the city's
principles and priorities and also is economically deliverable.
and so, go ahead.
so regular meetings, as soon as the ad hoc committee was formed, were set in motion
with merlone geier partners back 18 months ago, and the
committee focused on creating lasting value for laguna hills.
none of us want to see the project sit dormant.
thirteen years in various phases of that.
but we also need to make sure it's right for laguna hills.
and so multiple site plan revisions over that period of time were gone through,
balancing feasibility with community priorities, and the result, we believe,
is a negotiated proposal designed to deliver the lasting public benefits that we
think the city deserves and to capture the interest and the spirit
of laguna hills as well.
and we think all that's possible.
so what are the priorities for the city?
one, increased revenues beyond the 2022 approved project.
that is confirmed.
this project will do that.
not only do that through the two hotels and retail that will be part of this project,
but it will increase the revenue over what the mall ever produced in its heyday.
I think that's really important to understand.
and that's been confirmed with independent analysis, not just our opinion.
number two, provide affordable housing near transit, medical, and retail.
specifically, senior affordable housing.
mayor caskey, I'm going to give him all the credit in the world,
this affordable housing was located in a different spot on the project,
and he was adamant to move it to that southwest corner of the property that puts it
as close as possible to public transportation.
not only does that just make sense, it also makes it more financeable as well.
so that was a good result from this process.
we also think that another priority for the city was to create a destination
reflecting the character of laguna hills,
and the developer has agreed with us for patriotic theming,
something that I think is really at the core of what laguna hills is as a city and
what we represent.
that's visible from the freeway, so people know when they're driving by laguna hills
just based on the project alone.
number four, develop vibrant retail, dining, and gathering spaces.
the pads on this project, for those of you who have taken a look, are on the north
half of the project, right?
surrounding the park.
if you've been to the river street development in san juan capistrano,
a similar feel in that regard, in that there's vibrant shopping and dining
opportunities that not only serve the immediate residents of this community
that we're building, but also a regional draw as well.
and so we think that this accomplishes that goal as well.
require enforceable phasing and developer accountability with community benefit.
we don't want the property to sit and not be developed.
and we also don't want to put a position,
put the city in a position where the developer can just do a few things and then
leave town and leave us holding the bag.
the way that this
proposal is phased and linked, and this was, again, independently reviewed, both
legally and from an economic perspective.
the proper phasing and accountability is within this project.
number six, expand ownership and rental opportunities for young families and our
workforce housing.
multiple types of housing, which marks departure from the previous version.
multiple housing types, from apartments to townhomes and single-family residences.
so you want to rent, you want to buy, you want to invest in laguna hills, this
project allows for that.
in a wide variety of opportunities.
number seven, design walkable neighborhoods with quality architecture and open space
and safety.
so working with ocfa and all the different agencies that make sure that this thing is
designed in a way that not only is
walkable and beautiful, but safe.
all that's been confirmed through our process, both with staff and our consultants.
we feel really confident with that.
and it just so happens, all of this is happening right across the street from our
city's largest employer, saddleback memorial hospital.
the environment that it's going to create, not only for the people that have to be in
the hospital for various health reasons,
but for those professionals, attracting the best doctors, nurses, medical
professionals to be part of that campus feel is going to be really excellent.
so that's part of that design of that neighborhood and community.
and number eight, deliver a project the community will be proud of that will be a
local and regional draw.
listen, it's been a long time, 13 years in the waiting,
and laguna hills deserves for this project to break ground and for us to put a shovel
in the ground.
and that's what we think based on the 18 months we've been working diligently with
the developer and with staff to be able to come
to that conclusion.
go ahead.
next slide.
go ahead.
so this is our statement.
the ad hoc committee believes this proposal is substantially stronger than the
previously approved project and the right project for laguna hills.
it reflects months of negotiation, compromise, and careful attention to the city's
priorities.
our goal has always been simple: create a project that laguna hills will be proud of
for generations.
go ahead.
and so the question is, why now, right?
I'm going to try to provide an answer to that.
in order for the affordable housing project, you're going to hear more about this,
to enter the state's financing portal in this year, in 2026,
we believe that this project needs to move forward immediately to be able to get into
the queue.
in much that same vein, hotel 1 needs to start construction in order to meet market
deadlines and demands to support tourism and capture,
if possible, the 2028 olympics.
also, after multiple public-facing opportunities, and we welcome everyone's input
here tonight.
but over many different public-facing opportunities over the last 18 months, all the
public feedback, or the vast majority of it, has been
overwhelmingly positive.
maybe a little editorial here: 13 years is long enough, right?
and additional paralysis by analysis potentially only hurts the city, in that we need
to keep and capture the current market condition and not
slide through the market condition like what happened last time.
and as I said before, put a shovel in the ground.
so that's the perspective of the ad hoc committee.
had an interesting time over the last 18 months.
it's been knockdown, drag-out in many cases, but all in good faith.
and I will commend the applicant for being up-front and face-to-face on all the
challenges that we went through together.
and you're going to see the results of that tonight.
that's my report, mr.
mayor.
all right.
thank you, mayor pro tem mathis.
I don't think I can add anything to that, but I would like to keep it moving,
and I'm going to ask the community development director, jennifer lowe, to present
the staff report.
jennifer?
good evening, mayor and members of the council.
I would like to introduce to you gina gizar and layla carter, project planners for
this, and gina will be giving the presentation.
thank you.
good evening, mayor and council members.
tonight for your consideration is the village at laguna hills 2026 modified project
under application number use-0239-2025.
this project site is the former laguna hills mall property, an approximately 68-acre
site,
which lies within the boundaries of the city's urban village specific plan.
this application is a major modification of the previously approved 2022 village at
laguna hills development plan.
the proposed mixed-use project includes a combination of commercial retail, two
hotels, four multifamily residential buildings, one of which is fully affordable,
a mix of townhomes, single-family attached, single-family detached housing, and open
space and recreation uses.
before turning to the specifics of this project, it's worth explaining that the
application is considered a modification rather than a new project.
section 1.49 of the da approved for the 2022 vlh project,
and I will say I will use vlh as an acronym for village at laguna hills several times,
so the da defines a major project modification as any discretionary approval or
permit requested by the property owner that would result in the authorization
of certain circumstances.
this proposed project includes more than five residential buildings and less than 210,
000 square feet of retail,
which meet two of those thresholds defined in the da.
as a result, this modification is considered a major project modification,
and section
12.3 of that agreement gives the city council absolute discretion to approve,
conditionally approve, or deny it.
this table summarizes how the 2026 modified project compares to what was approved in
2022.
commercial retail, restaurant, cinema, and health club uses decrease from 250,000
square feet to 163,215 square feet, as the cinema and health club have
been removed.
office use is eliminated entirely, a reduction of 465,000 square feet.
the project now includes two hotels totaling 239 rooms, an increase of 89 rooms over
the single hotel approved in 2022.
residential units decreased slightly from 1,500 to 1,457, though the da preserves the
potential for up to 1,500 units.
and required parking decreases by about 1,926 spaces, reflecting the removal of
office, cinema, and health club uses and their associated parking structures.
in short, the 2026 modified project diversifies the housing types on site, adding
apartments, stand-alone affordable housing, townhomes, single-family attached,
single-family detached,
while also increasing the village park from 2.6 to 3.1 acres and introducing the
second hotel.
to implement these changes, the applicant is requesting a series of discretionary
approvals: a specific plan amendment, a site development permit, a precise plan,
an amendment to vesting tentative map number 19123, conditional use permits for the
two hotels and for seasonal and temporary events at the village
park, a master sign program, a parking use permit, and an amended and restated da.
taken together, the project offers significant public benefits.
it will generate fee payments of almost $33 million at full build-out and an
anticipated annual general fund fiscal surplus of about $2.26 million.
it redevelops a largely vacant former mall site into a mixed-use urban village,
creates thousands of construction and permanent jobs,
and helps the city meet more than 60% of the housing units required under its 2021-29
housing element.
the amended and restated da has a 15-year term with the possibility of a five-year
extension, and at full build-out authorizes the park, retail,
residential, and hotels.
development is structured in two phases.
phase 1 includes construction of the two retail anchor buildings, shop a, hotel 1,
and 200 units of affordable senior housing,
along with supporting streets, utilities, landscaping, and infrastructure, plus
elective improvements such as the north residential building.
phase 1 must commence within four years of the da date and must be completed within
five years,
with the affordable housing project completed within three years of commencement.
phase 2 includes commercial pads one through four, shops b and c, hotel 2, and the
central and south residential buildings, along with their supportive infrastructure.
phase 2 can commence at any time during the da term,
but the hotels must be completed within eight years or the applicant must pay a hotel
delay fee,
which we'll get into in a minute.
this slide breaks down the community benefit and one-time fees associated with the
project.
to date, the applicant has paid more than $8.6 million toward public art, park
in-lieu, community benefit, and development agreement administration fees.
looking ahead, the applicant is obligated to pay an additional $23.9 million in those
same categories.
plus a public art obligation equal to
0.5% of construction costs for specific non-residential and multifamily uses, with
any amount above $650,000 required to be
installed as actual public art onsite.
and as mentioned before, a hotel delay fee of $500,000 per hotel if either is not
completed within eight years.
from a fiscal standpoint, at full build-out, the project is expected to generate
approximately $3.8 million in annual city revenues against about $1.53 million
in annual expenditures, for a net positive fiscal impact of over $2.2 million per
year.
that surplus is higher than the $1.39 million annual surplus that would have resulted
under the 2022 approved project,
largely due to the addition of the second hotel and its associated transient
occupancy tax revenue.
these figures are based on an analysis and a fiscal impact analysis prepared by dpfg
and peer-reviewed on behalf of the city by eps.
with the fiscal and procedural context in mind, we can walk through the physical
design of the project.
so just to reiterate the uses, the modified project includes up to 143,100 square
feet of new retail space,
and that's in addition to the existing space that will remain with the bj's and other
uses.
these spaces are anchored by two major stores, a 3.1-acre village park, four
multifamily residential buildings, again, one that is fully affordable,
and the mix of townhomes, single-family attached and single-family detached
residential uses, two hotels, and vehicular access, circulation, and parking
improvements.
there will be a comprehensive signage program and new utility and infrastructure
improvements.
at the heart of the project is the approximately 3.1-acre village park, which will be
privately owned but publicly accessible.
it includes a small kiosk with outdoor seating and dining along its edges, water
features, a pavilion, a raised deck, and a central green.
this diagram illustrates how the village park integrates with the project's broader
open space network, connecting the commercial core, hotels,
and residential districts through a continuous pedestrian environment.
the landscape concept is organized around a tree hierarchy that provides botanical
wayfinding throughout the site,
enhanced gateways, and a main entrance that creates a sense of arrival,
and a network of paseos that extend the landscape into the commercial and residential
areas.
the project also emphasizes multimodal connectivity.
pedestrian enhancements include an extensive walkable network of paseos and enhanced
crossings, linking retail, residential, and open spaces.
bicycle infrastructure includes class 3 bike-share lanes on key streets connecting to
the city's multi-use trail system.
and the site is within immediate walking distance of multiple octa bus stops and the
laguna hills transportation center.
a bit on the affordable housing: rather than distributing affordable units piecemeal
across multiple buildings, the project consolidates them.
a fully entitled, development-ready pad is transferred to a qualified affordable
housing developer.
this approach helps the city ensure that it meets its rhna obligations for
lower-income units.
turning to parking, the project is required to provide 3,671 parking spaces under the
laguna hills municipal code and the urban village specific plan.
and it provides 4,013, a surplus of 342 spaces.
the uvsp requires developments with construction costs of at least $250,000 to
provide public art or contribute to the city's public art in-lieu
fund.
the applicant has already paid $350,000 to the fund and holds a $300,000 prior credit.
under the amended and restated development agreement, the applicant must contribute
0.5% of total construction costs for those non-residential and multifamily uses to
the fund.
any amount above $650,000 must be satisfied through installation of actual public art.
notably, in 2023, the city council commissioned brittany ryan studios to create five
figures on patrol.
a tribute to the u.s.
3rd battalion, 5th marines, known as team dark horse, consisting of 50-inch
sculptures depicting marines on patrol in afghanistan.
that artwork will be displayed at the village park, externally illuminated and framed
with contrasting landscaping.
architecturally, the project is designed in a spanish colonial revival theme
featuring smooth and sand-finished stucco in whites and beiges, terracotta-esque tile
roofing,
loggia arches, wrought-iron detailing, horizontal siding, and decorative tile accents.
building massing incorporates varying roof heights, projections, and overhangs to
create visual breaks and articulate each building's form.
the project requires a specific plan amendment to allow single-family detached homes
as permitted uses,
to reduce the required building separation for single-family detached buildings from
10 to 6 feet, and to clarify that development entitlements approved
before the adoption of the city's objective design standards, or ods,
including those approved under a development agreement, are not subject to the ods
standards.
the project remains consistent with, or is conditioned to require consistency with,
all applicable uvsp development standards as shown in the table and detailed
more in the staff report.
the project requires three conditional use permits, one for hotel 1 and hotel 2, and
one for
seasonal and temporary events at the village park.
staff's findings support all three.
the requested uses are fully integrated into the larger modified project and would
create no adverse impacts.
the master sign program establishes a comprehensive, unified signage strategy for the
project, including wall signs, a freeway pylon sign,
large entryway pylon and monument signs, smaller secondary entryway pylon signs,
tenant signs, banner graphics, and directional signage.
turning to environmental compliance, this project's ceqa foundation traces back to
the city's 2009 general plan program environmental impact report,
the 2002 urban village specific plan, and the fifth addendum prepared for the 2022
village at laguna hills project.
in total, the program eir has been the subject of seven addenda since 2009.
ceqa guidelines section 15162 directs when a subsequent or supplemental eir is
required.
in short, no additional environmental analysis is required if a project would not
result in new impacts, would not result in more severe impacts,
and would not require new mitigation beyond what the general plan program already
identified.
consistent with that standard, a ceqa compliance memorandum was prepared confirming
the analysis conducted in the fifth addendum for the 2022 vlh project.
this memo was also peer-reviewed by lsa, the city's ceqa consultant.
that memo evaluated all ceqa topic areas and found no new or substantially more
severe impacts in any category.
in fact, it found a net reduction in trips, operational emissions, greenhouse gas
emissions, and noise compared to the previously approved project.
based on that analysis, staff's determination is that the project is a modification
of the previously approved 2022 village at laguna hills project,
that it will not result in any new significant impacts or a substantial increase in
the severity of previously identified impacts,
and that the mitigation measures identified in the fifth addendum remain applicable
and have been incorporated into the project's design and conditions of approval.
the uvsp manages cumulative impacts through a peak-hour trip budget.
the specific plan established a starting budget of 1,243 a.m.
peak-hour trips and 2,272 p.m.
peak-hour trips, calibrated to ensure that development within the plan area does not
exceed the intersection level of service standards in the city's
2009 general plan circulation element while still allowing flexibility in the mix of
land uses.
that are built.
according to the updated trip generation and vmt screening report prepared by llg, the
2026 modified project generates fewer trips than the 2022 approved project.
after accounting for this project and all prior approvals within the plan area, 276
a.m.
peak-hour trips and 3,452 p.m.
peak-hour trips remain in the uvsp budget for future development.
given the scale and long-term nature of this project,
staff recommends that the city council convert the existing village at laguna hills
ad hoc committee into a standing committee to monitor and oversee
implementation going forward.
as a standing committee, this body would be a legislative body under the brown act,
following standard agenda and meeting procedures.
it would serve as a liaison between city staff, mgp, and the city council,
provide guidance and input on implementation of the da and the project, and report
back to council.
though it would hold no independent decision-making authority.
it would continue in existence until the council takes separate action and would be
composed of the same two council members who currently serve
on the ad hoc committee.
with that, we'll close with staff's recommendation.
staff recommends that the planning agency and city council, first, conduct this joint
public hearing.
second, adopt a joint resolution approving the site development permit, master sign
program, conditional use permits,
and the amended vesting tentative map no. 19123 under application u-0239-2025.
third, introduce for first reading an ordinance amending and restating the
development agreement between the city and mgp fund x laguna hills llc.
and fourth, introduce for first reading an ordinance adopting an amendment to the
urban village specific plan for the village at laguna hills project.
and with that, staff will be available to answer any questions.
thank you.
all right, we are going to postpone those questions until the 6 o'clock meeting
because, as I said before,
we're going to go to public speakers first after both of these presentations.
and so we're right on time, and I would like to now request that mgp fund x laguna
hills make their presentation.
thank you, mayor caskey.
thank you, council members pezold, wheeler, mathis, and sweeney.
I also want to thank staff and the city's consultants for working with us over the
past
couple of years and even extending beyond that.
I also have with me today and would like to thank our project team.
these are industry professionals that are excellent at what they do, and we have
representatives here to answer questions should they come up later
on in the presentation.
as was mentioned, we don't need to go into detail,
but there has been a considerable amount of process that has taken place. Really,
since 2023, we started internally looking at this plan,
how we could make it feasible, how we could expedite the desires of ourselves and the
city to see something come to fruition, and appreciate
the ability to work with the ad hoc committee and with staff to work through the
questions and the iterative nature of the site planning
exercise, which I think has been very fruitful.
we've held two community outreach meetings.
one was, I can't believe it was last august, but it was last august.
we had, I think, over 140 people attend.
and subsequent to that, we had
made ourselves available by posting all those materials on our website, and we
continued to receive emails with questions, and we tried to respond
to those since then.
we also had a virtual meeting earlier this year.
and throughout this process, we've been iterating and making revisions to the site
plan, updating our analysis, and really being tasked by
the ad hoc committee and staff with responding to very specific questions, and it's
led to where we are today.
this is a snapshot of the overall process that we've been on.
the green row up top is just a reflection of when we acquired the property back in
2014, all the way to today,
the milestone in 2022 on the development agreement.
the pink or purple line is the fees that have been paid and will be paid over a
period of time.
as was mentioned, we've already paid $8.7 million in fees, which isn't insignificant,
and we're actually in compliance with the terms of that 2022 development agreement.
the blue line reflects the process going forward for construction and other permit
approvals.
we actually submitted a couple of weeks ago our initial plans for the core and shell
on the anchor retail building,
along with our site development work for the first hotel pad.
so we're trying to get out ahead of this to meet the timelines that have been
established.
and then there are ongoing mapping efforts that are articulated there at the bottom.
so I know this was mentioned, but I wanted to highlight a couple of things.
comparing the 2022 entitlement to this 2026 modified plan, it was noted that the
increase in sales tax revenue that will come to the city.
I also wanted to point out we're actually providing a larger community open space.
that village park is increased by about a half an acre, and we also added almost a
0.7-acre dog park in the plan.
and it was mentioned there are walking trails throughout the site, so about 16% of
the 68-acre site is usable open space.
because we removed the 465,000 square feet of office, that traffic reduction of 25%
is worth noting.
and then we are paying slightly more in impact fees.
so since we met with the community, I just wanted to highlight what has changed in
the site plan since last summer.
and this is based on the process that I mentioned in working with the ad hoc
committee and trying to make the plan even
better, right?
and so what I've highlighted here are just the components of the plan that have
changed.
so this is the 2025 plan.
and then this is the updated site plan.
you can see the affordable building in the southwest corner.
in the middle section, that large circle demonstrates we distributed the for-sale
product types more evenly between the phases, which actually opens it up.
it makes the site, I guess, more porous and creates opportunities for more pedestrian
connectivity through the site.
we expanded that residential building along carlotta, and then we moved the townhomes
next to the first hotel.
so this is the final site plan that we have in front of you today.
this is a rendering of the senior affordable building that will sit there at the
southwest corner.
we also have some images here.
there will be several different for-sale product types,
which will allow the velocity of those units to be sold faster and bring more people
into the community.
more quickly, and so there are these duplex units, there are three-story
single-family detached units that can be up to four bedrooms,
and then there's motor court residences that have a shared drive, kind of like a
u-shaped building, that are really popular,
and then standard row townhomes, so these are row townhomes.
this is just a different look at the phasing.
so the light blue is the required first phase of the project.
so the affordable, the first hotel, and then the anchor retail buildings.
early on in this reboot of the project, we knew it was critical to go and find an
anchor tenant.
and I'm pleased to share we signed a lease with whole foods
to anchor this project.
and they'll sit adjacent to a relocated nordstrom rack.
I'll get back to that relocation because it triggers the second phase.
so once we've started the light blue, that allows us to move forward with what you
see in orange,
which is the first phase of the residential component of the project.
so those can move forward concurrently.
that's pretty important for the retailers.
they want to see houses being occupied adjacent to the retail.
it'll create a much healthier retail leasing environment.
and then once we relocate that nordstrom rack into that anchor building,
we'll immediately commence the second phase of the required improvements you see in
green, which are the village park, the associated retail,
the first multifamily building, and the second hotel.
and we can't start on what you see in pink until we move forward with those elements
that are in green.
so those were the core phases that were agreed to.
it took quite a few iterations, and this is what we landed on.
here's a few renderings.
this is looking from the northeast corner that I think everyone's familiar with, the
intersection off of I-5 and el toro.
you can see the shopping center feel in front of the whole foods with that surface
parking that they really need.
plus, we have to preserve the parking for the in-n-out and king's fish house.
and then here from the northwest corner, this is looking over the medical center,
more down into the village park area.
you can see there is visibility from el toro to that village park,
but that it really sits adjacent to this employment center that we think is pretty
critical.
and then here's from the southwest corner looking over the transit center and that
affordable building.
and then this is from the southeast corner looking at the multifamily buildings along
carlotta and that first hotel.
some things were already mentioned about this village park.
a lot of feedback, I'd say, in our community outreach has been related to this
component of the project.
and we've also worked, as was mentioned, trying to incorporate these patriotic
theming elements, including the statues that are beautiful, by the way,
that are being commissioned right now, and incorporating those into this component of
the project.
this really will become the activity center of the project and hopefully for the
broader community.
I wish the jumbotron were working today.
it'd be great to go watch some world cup games,
but that's what it's intended to do: have those types of viewing opportunities.
plus, it's a stage for performances, movies in the park.
and then there's enough space there for an ice-skating rink for tree-lighting
ceremonies.
and this village drive, you can see a different paving pattern.
we're able to put bollards on both ends of that drive and create functional, usable
space for farmers markets or food trucks or car
shows, whatever the city would like.
this is another rendering of the village park.
and then just from another direction, you can see the medical center right there on
our left-hand side.
as was mentioned, when you talk about this, traffic has seen a reduction.
we do have llg here to answer any questions on the traffic.
fiscal impact has been addressed.
the affordable housing will include at least 200 units between 30% and 70% of area
median income, with at least 10% of those
units at or below 30% ami, and there'll be a mix of studio, one-, and two-bedroom
units.
the building will be developed, owned, and operated by an affordable housing
developer, who is actually meta housing.
they're here today to answer questions as well.
and I know that there's a lot of questions about waitlists and things like that, and
that will
be addressed, and there will be significant notice to the broader community when that
time has come.
parking will be handled in the multifamily buildings and parking structures within
their respective parcels.
the affordable building will park both within a parking structure and on its parcel.
and then the townhomes and single-family units have two-car garages, and there are
street parking stalls for visitors.
the commercial and the hotel components will be served with parking in their
respective surface parking lots and some of the adjacent streets.
the market-rate housing will be a mix of the for-sale product types that I showed
some renderings of, and the prices will
really depend on the product types and will be determined when we come to market, and
that will also be broadly
shared with the community.
there will be all the way from two-bedroom townhomes to four-bedroom, three-story,
single-family detached homes.
so it'll hit a range of price points that will be unique to this market.
and the retail, as was mentioned, we have whole foods and nordstrom rack.
the existing restaurants remain.
and then the balance of shops and pad buildings will be leased to the types of
retailers you would anticipate seeing in a grocery,
drug-anchored lifestyle center in orange county.
and our in-house leasing experts will be running the leasing on that.
there's already a large list of tenants who are interested and waiting for this night
to move us forward so we can move forward with the leasing.
two hotels are already secured for hotel 1 and hotel 2.
they are upscale.
the first, as was mentioned, would like to open before the olympics, and we're trying
to accommodate that.
they're even going at risk on some of their plans to accommodate that.
and then the second will begin once the nordstrom rack is relocated and we start that
second phase.
they're not here, but they did submit a letter.
hopefully you guys were able to see that.
that's the extent of my presentation.
as mentioned, I have members of my team here to answer any questions.
and again, I appreciate the time and attention to this.
it's been a lot of work, many, many meetings,
and we're pleased with the outcome and hope that the rest of the council is pleased
as well.
so thank you.
thank you, mr.
william.
we will not be taking questions quite yet, but I'm sure you and your group of people
supporting you will be here.
we'll come back right after public speakers and dig into any questions,
clarifications that we have for your group and also for the staff report.
so with that, we're going to open the public hearing.
and the purpose of this public hearing is to solicit public testimony and input.
there will be no discussion, no debate, no personal opinions of council members at
this time.
if you are participating remotely, by the way, and we do have some, and wish to speak
regarding this item, dial star 9
on a telephone now to raise your hand to indicate you wish to speak, and you will be
identified by the last four digits
of your phone number. When you have been recognized to speak, you will dial star 6 to
unmute yourself. I also want to announce
that each speaker will receive three minutes. You will be allowed to finish your
sentence if you run out of time. To improve the meeting
efficiency, the city clerk will call
for the current speaker and for the next speaker so that they can begin to make their
way to the podium.
that is for those of you who are in this room, or the next, or even possibly the next;
I don't know.
but we did set up for potentially a larger crowd.
so we will, just so you know, be going with those folks who are actually in these
rooms
in person first; then we will go to the telephone
line, and at the very last,
because we have received a number of
quite a number of
of
uh...
basically, positions
online,
we will ask her to read the names
of
those commenting and not the comments themselves.
otherwise, we'll be here until 3 in the morning.
and I want to also point out that council members may ask questions of any public
speaker as we go.
so we weren't doing that up to this point, but at this point,
our agency members will be able to ask questions of people speaking.
and so with that,
we will start, and I am going to turn to joshua to begin that process.
yes, thank you, mr.
mayor.
I do want to clarify, if you are participating remotely,
it would be dial star 9 to raise your hand to indicate that you wish to speak at that
time.
the first speaker we have is sheila kaneshiro, ceo of saddleback medical center, and
the next one will be rona henry.
good evening, mayor caskey, mayor pro tem mathis, and members of the city council.
thank you for the opportunity to share my support for the village
at laguna hills development project, being the largest employer in laguna hills.
thank you for this opportunity and highlighting that. I also appreciate stating again
the priorities that the development, we believe, does meet.
my name is sheila kaneshiro, and I serve as the ceo at memorialcare saddleback
medical center.
I'll share very quickly.
we have town halls about every couple of months to inform and update our teams.
and we've had the pleasure of having mayor don caskey, as well as merlone geier,
there.
and I can tell you that since my time serving as a ceo for about a year, this
question does come up.
what is going on with the development across the street?
so I want to thank both the staff from the city and the developer for their time.
we want to revitalize that area, first and foremost, for safety.
there's definitely opportunity there.
and we share a mutual commitment to serve our community, and right now we're not
necessarily doing that with a vacant, dilapidated lot.
and you mentioned housing, which is a key focus for us.
we have staff traveling from outside the community that are eager to hear about the
housing opportunities.
and we consider the social drivers of health.
and we're thrilled to hear that it is also serving and providing affordable housing,
not only for our seniors,
because we have a special relationship with laguna woods, but also for veterans.
you can imagine how expensive it is, and we live it every day in terms of south
county,
what this opportunity would provide for our own staff because they are driving quite
far.
the hotels will provide a special experience for our patients and their families who
have extended stays at the hospital.
and just think of the green spaces that it will provide.
having a stressful day taking care of patients, it provides that opportunity for them
to take a break and visit those areas and have
some well-being for themselves.
and then in terms of the health system,
we want to make sure that we can provide an opportunity for not only laguna hills,
but we serve the outlying communities in terms of laguna niguel, dana point, and
mission viejo.
you can imagine what that would do to open that up in terms of this development.
so for all these reasons, I respectfully request your approval of the village at
laguna hills.
thank you.
hang on just a second.
thank you, sheila.
any questions from the council?
yes.
all right.
thank you, mayor.
hi.
thank you for coming out.
I want to say thank you for all that you're doing over at the hospital.
and as our largest employer, as well as a staple in our community, you guys are
pretty much baked into our community.
and we respect everything that you're doing over there and for all of your service.
my question is, is there anything that your staff or employees have come up with of
something that they wanted to see specifically at the development?
was there kind of an overall theme that they wanted to kind of see?
they're interested in the green space, the ability to visit during their breaks,
after work, before work, providing convenience, walking opportunities, and retail
space.
when we shared whole foods...
the crowd went wild, literally.
and it's nice that you're preserving some of the restaurants that are existing
already.
we did have a concern in terms of traffic because we want to make sure the access for
our patients and families is pretty
seamless.
I know that peak seasons, winter, can be a little bit difficult, especially when you
have the holidays.
so that's just something for everyone to consider.
we want to ensure that we have seamless access to the medical center.
all right.
well, thank you again for coming out, and thank you for taking the time to do this.
thank you.
thank you, ms.
kaneshiro.
by the way, it was a great pleasure of mine to be able to participate in three town
halls in the month of october
last year at saddleback, answering their questions, not selling anything, just
telling them where it is.
and there were plenty of questions going, you name it, way beyond this particular
project.
but I really appreciate the ceo making an appearance this afternoon.
thank you very much.
next.
yes, we have rona henry.
and then up next will be john noell.
good afternoon.
my name is rona henry, and I'm here on behalf of welcoming neighbors home.
we're a coalition of residents who believe that the lack of affordable housing is one
of the most critical issues of our time.
we're here because we understand that this city council can play an important role in
solving the housing crisis in our community.
we urge you to vote yes for the revised development agreement for the village at
laguna hills.
here are the benefits we see in the revised plan.
the city's sixth-cycle rhna obligation is for 921 lower-income homes.
this project will provide 200 affordable homes at or below 70% of the area median
income, or the ami, which, by the way, is
$118,500 for a single person in orange county right now.
and we're happy that 10% of the units will be reserved for people at 30% of the area
median income.
we hope that even more can be reserved for this group.
two hundred lower-income units is a big improvement over the previously planned 100
low-income and 100 moderate-income homes,
which were going to take many years to build.
we love that there is accountability for the affordable housing to be built in the
first phase of the building.
we really like the location of what we understand will be the seniors-only affordable
building by the bus depot.
seniors drive less and need public transportation, plus it will also be close to the
hospital and medical offices, which seniors often have to visit.
we agree this location makes it easier to finance as well.
we would like to note that this site would be ideal for multifamily workforce
affordable housing.
however, we can support senior affordable housing because our older community members
need more affordable options.
but we do urge you to work to facilitate the building of multifamily workforce
affordable housing in laguna hills in the future because the need
is so great for this type of housing.
we understand it's important to improve this plan now so that the developer can meet
the fall deadlines for getting financing for the project.
if the project is not approved now, there is a danger that the building may be
significantly delayed.
the revised plan is a definite improvement over the previous plan, and we urge you to
vote yes on the revised development plan.
thank you.
thank you very much, rona.
questions?
erica.
yes, I have a question.
ms. Henry, I know that we've seen you over the years in laguna hills, so just out of
curiosity:
what is your title with...
I'm the chair of welcoming neighbors home.
you're the chair. And is it a nonprofit?
it's a—we're a ministry that started out of tapestry unitarian universalist
congregation; however, we have members beyond the congregation.
it's a ministry of a church.
a ministry of...
do you receive donations?
no.
not...
we have received donations from concerned citizens of laguna woods, but that's a
nonprofit organization in laguna woods.
thank you.
councilman wheeler.
another question.
rona.
don't leave yet.
yeah, we also have met many times over the years.
I need to ask you a question.
your organization has been here many, many times.
and I guess rhna, which you're very familiar with, requires about 75% of the houses
be affordable.
I'm wondering why your organization doesn't push for more.
I mean, we get these projects, have a project here, which are like 5%, you know, 7%.
why are you approving this?
why aren't you fighting like mad, you know, to have much, much higher numbers and
approve something like this?
we would love to have more, councilman wheeler. What I have learned in our research,
which started back in 2019, is that the city council
is
supposed to zone for the affordable housing, but you're not necessarily responsible
for building it. And so, when we're talking to developers,
we're always trying to ask for more affordable, but I think
it's an example of what is feasible and doable.
I would have loved—in the previous, there was a previous development that you had
approved.
you didn't have the inclusionary housing policy, and we didn't get very much.
I would urge you to have an inclusionary housing policy like they do in mission viejo
because they were able to get 15%
in a recently approved building.
so it's more a question of what's feasible.
the research I've done, and what the state says, is that if you have inclusionary
housing policy of more than 15%,
it's just not financially feasible.
so we're balancing what's feasible versus what our goals and our ideals are.
thank you.
thanks.
okay.
thank you, for real this time.
okay, next.
we have john noell, and then next will be kristina kennedy.
thank you.
thank you, mr.
mayor and city council, for having me here.
this is great.
I will echo sheila's comments from saddleback medical center.
we feel the same thing.
I'm vice president of media services 55 and tv6, which is the communication arm of
laguna woods village.
we have 18,800 people right next door.
we have about 100 new people that move in every month, which is a statistic that a
lot of people don't know.
but I also get probably three or four inquiries every two weeks, every three weeks,
what in the world is going on next door with this mall.
and those are from current residents as well as people that are moving in.
they see the big spot that's empty over there, and they always wonder.
so now I've got something to talk to them about.
we have about a billion dollars of annual disposable income.
we have about $5 billion worth of net worth.
we have 18,000 very active people that love to walk and ride their golf carts.
and play golf. And this used to be one of their spots, walking around the mall. Now
they have, with this green area
that you have, looks pretty nice.
I think they're going to be very excited about this.
I mean, I think that
what I've seen, what I've heard today, is exactly what I can take back to village
management services, which is a company I work
for,
and share with them
and the mayor and the city council of laguna woods, that this is moving ahead,
hopefully.
and I think it's a well-designed, mixed-use development that fits in with what we do.
we work with the hospital very closely.
in fact, our residents built the hospital back in '75 with coffee cans, walking
around raising money.
so we are joined at the hip with this community.
so I hope that we get something done over here.
and thanks for the opportunity to say a few words.
okay.
hang on there just for a second.
are there any questions for mr.
noell from the council?
thank you.
thank you, mr.
mayor.
thanks again for coming out.
it's great to see you.
and a quick question for you, in the sense that for laguna woods, how many people
there drive golf carts?
drive golf carts?
yeah.
on any given day?
yeah, just any given day.
we have probably about 2,800 golf carts there.
okay.
and they're going to love this because it's close by and it's walkable.
it is walkable, yeah.
I was just wondering if there was any way in the future that we can figure out a way
to get
the accessibility of golf carts to come over from there, maybe over to this side at
some point.
so just something to think about.
absolutely.
I mean, we have 16 buses that travel all over this area and deliver people to the
hospital every day, several times a day.
so, yes, golf carts are going to be top priority.
awesome.
thank you so much.
absolutely.
any other questions?
thank you, mr.
noell.
thank you very much.
appreciate that.
all right, next up.
we have kristina kennedy, and next will be elizabeth hansburg.
welcome.
thank you.
thank you, mayor caskey, and thank you to the rest of the council members for
allowing us to be here today.
my name is kristina kennedy, and I'm the president and ceo of the laguna hills
chamber of commerce.
I grew up here in south orange county, and for many of us, the laguna hills mall was
where we shopped,
where we went to the movies,
and where we went and met friends for dinner.
it was also a place of opportunity.
it provided jobs for so many people in our community, including myself and many of my
friends.
I used to work at the broadway.
I don't know if you guys remember that place.
it's a long time ago.
anyway, the laguna hills mall wasn't just a shopping center.
it was a community hub.
and for years now, that absence has left a hole in our community that is not just
affecting laguna hills.
it affects all of south orange county and probably beyond that.
in my role, I am constantly asked, just like everybody else who's spoken up here
today, what's going on with the property?
what's going on with the laguna hills mall?
and they know the mall is gone, but they want to know what's next.
I believe that the village at laguna hills is that next chapter.
from the chamber's perspective, this project is an investment in the future of laguna
hills.
it brings back so much of what made the mall special.
it brings back shopping, dining, jobs, and a place where people can gather.
it also takes the next step.
the hotels will bring visitors who support our restaurants, our retailers, and other
local businesses in the area.
and for the first time, this site also creates housing opportunities for seniors,
families, and the workforce that keeps our businesses running.
I've experienced firsthand why that's important.
over the years, I've lost really good employees because they couldn't afford to live
nearby and the commute became too much.
when businesses can attract and keep talented employees, everyone benefits.
our businesses are stronger, our residents are better served, and our local economy
grows.
years ago, this property was a place of opportunity, and I believe that can be, once
again, a place of opportunity.
and for this reason, I respectfully ask for your support on this project.
any questions for ms.
kennedy?
hearing none, thank you so much, kristina.
next.
we have elizabeth hansburg, and next will be john loper.
welcome. Good evening, mayor caskey and members of the city council.
I'm really thrilled to be here tonight to lend our support for what
I think is an absolutely fantastic reimagined project. My name is elizabeth hansburg.
I'm with the housing advocacy organization people for housing orange county. Our
advocacy spans from low-income, subsidized affordable housing
for our neighbors in need of subsidized housing all the way up through first-time
homebuyer housing product that serves the next generation. And so I can
honestly say that, of all the projects that I've been advocating for this year, this
is my favorite because it literally encompasses the full
spectrum of our advocacy. So well done, city of laguna hills; well done to the
applicant; and
I am impressed by the amount of hustle that has happened to remake this project.
mayor pro tem mathis, I really can't top your talking points that you gave in the
overview that you were giving.
those would be all the talking points that I would call out.
but I think it's really clear that the community wants this to happen.
the developer wants it to happen.
the council wants it to happen.
the amount of risk that is being brought forward...
I mean, when they were saying that one of the hotels is speculating that they can get
this done before the olympics,
there's a lot of excitement, or they wouldn't put this much capital on the line.
so just recognizing what that is, in terms of the investment that's being made in
your city, that is not nothing.
that is huge.
so I just want to call that out, because I don't think that there is a project, you
know,
until hoag builds on the ziggurat building, you're the only game in town.
okay, so, I said all that.
okay, so.
we're a little further along.
you're a little further along.
indeed, indeed, indeed.
so I want to go fast because I don't want to go over my time.
but the affordable housing for seniors—seniors are the fastest-growing group of
people experiencing housing instability.
two hundred units of affordable housing for seniors at a deeper level of
affordability than you had in your first plan.
total win.
housing as a social determinant of health.
you heard the ceo of your hospital system talk about the need and how having stable
housing impacts people's health.
so again, another tick mark or tally for that affordable housing brought to you by
meta housing.
and then the part that, honestly, when I get excited about housing,
I think about my own child, who is 19 and eventually will get married, and I hope can
stay in california.
and these townhomes would probably be the most approachable way for her, in her
future, to buy a home.
she's probably not going to buy a full-on single-family home.
and so the variety of housing that you're providing at multiple levels is not just
townhomes.
it's townhomes and duplexes and some small-lot single-family.
so I'm in support.
out of time.
thank you very much.
are there questions?
thank you very much.
I have a question.
oh, sorry, erica.
so you're part of a nonprofit that supports subsidized housing.
I am.
okay.
and do you receive donations?
we receive a variety of funding.
we have grant funding.
we have donation funding.
anyone in here you know donated to your organization?
we have an annual fundraiser every year, and not this year, but in past years, yes,
we did
have support from some of the developers in the room.
we've had support from architects in the room.
we've had support from...
we've even had support from hospital systems.
we've had funding from kaiser permanente, providence, the samueli foundation, the
robert wood johnson foundation.
so we get our support from a variety of organizations, yes, including people that
build the housing,
but they're also the people who assemble the land, labor, and capital and take the
risk to deliver housing to the market.
so I'm proud to say that we have drawn funding from across the spectrum,
people that are interested in housing as a social determinant of health,
all the way through to the people who really are taking the risk to make the
investment in this city, in this project,
in this market.
it's not an easy market.
and do you know where, besides the senior building that's going to be allotted for
low-income housing,
do you know where subsidized housing will be on this project, in this project?
so I would make the argument that by bringing more housing to south orange county,
it's not a traditional subsidy as in money from the government.
but when you increase the supply of housing, econ 101,
it provides more opportunity, more competition for housing.
so in the big picture, we are bringing down the cost of housing when we add housing
to the housing stock of any community.
so it isn't a one-to-one.
you can't say, oh, if you add five more units here, housing prices are going to
settle here.
but the more housing you can add to a community in a way that is respectful of the
community and maintains its values,
is a win.
so is it traditional in the sense of, like, we're getting government money to offset
the lack of rent that is not able to be
paid by low-income residents?
no, it's not that.
we need that.
we absolutely do.
and I completely agree with welcoming neighbors home.
we need more of it.
but at the end of the day, the government doesn't subsidize housing at the rate
needed to fund the number of units for all the
people who qualify.
in orange county right now, median income
for a one-person household is, I think, either $94,000 or $97,000.
I can't remember.
but the threshold to be eligible for affordable housing this year—they just released
new numbers in may—is $104,000 for a one-person household.
how is it that people who make above the median are eligible for affordable housing?
that is not a problem of government subsidy.
that is a problem of housing shortage and the lack of housing that has driven the
cost burden so high that when hud has to ask
itself, well, what should 80% be?
well, if the median is $97,000, presumably 80% of that, which is the threshold for
low-income housing, would be lower.
but by the time they make all their adjustments to account for high housing costs in
this region, we end up at $104,000.
that is absolutely a result of the housing shortage.
so is it traditional, subsidized, government-funded affordable housing?
no.
but by adding new units, you're going to help bring that median, or that, sorry,
that eligibility threshold a lot closer to what it really ought to be, which is 80%
of median,
which would not be higher than the median.
thank you.
yep.
anybody else?
all right.
thanks.
thank you so much.
next, we have john loper, and then next will be phyllis roberts.
good afternoon.
good evening, actually.
I'm john loper.
I'm here on behalf of the fritz duda company and the owner of oakbrook village,
the little shopping center behind the mall that is still there.
neighbors, our neighbors.
I want to thank the council, and especially the subcommittee, because I know how hard
you have worked, and this is not a
little project.
this is a huge project.
and I know you and the staff have all worked very hard on this.
oakbrook village is still owned by the gentleman who built it in the '80s.
and we've been part of the specific plan since 2002, when it first started.
we were the first project to do a mixed-use project.
and quite frankly, it's been fairly successful.
we have lived for the last 15 years with an empty mall between us and civilization.
and it's been very hard with our tenants.
it's been hard attracting new tenants because everyone wants to know what's going to
happen to the mall.
we do think that this mix of retail and the village green, or village park, sorry,
having two hotels to bring in tourists and businesses,
the affordable senior housing, the for-sale housing, which is a great addition, and
rental housing.
so you're providing housing for all different types of income levels.
it's going to work better than the previous two versions of the plan
that we have seen.
so we're in support of the plan.
we do appreciate condition number 24, and we want to have this on the record,
about getting calle de caballeros built in the very first phase, in the first three
years, it looks like, based on the phasing plan.
we think this is critical for our access.
it's been a real problem for our tenants to get out of our property, through the mall
property,
and try to figure out how to get to a street.
so we appreciate you adding that.
we want to have it on the record.
that is important to us.
we also appreciate the condition that allows for continual work on construction
phasing.
we think caballeros is really important for access to the hospital
and to get people that live and work in laguna hills around the mall during the next
15 years of construction.
hopefully it won't take that long, but the da is 15 years.
we do hope that the third time will be a charm, and we want to see this get built.
we think this is the best of the plans we've seen,
and we're excited to hear that there are two tenants signed up and a hotel signed up,
and
very excited also to hear there's a senior housing project developer ready to go.
so we support the project, and we appreciate you working with us.
we do want to put on the record also that a group of our
tenants have signed a little letter indicating how important access is and important
to get something done on the mall,
and I will give that to the city clerk.
all right.
is that it?
I'm sorry.
that's it.
any questions?
yes, erica.
okay.
so, mr.
loper, so you said that you own oakbrook village?
no.
I represent the owner.
okay.
I represent.
the owner, the fritz duda company, is the manager of the property, and mr.
duda was the one who developed it.
okay.
so, mr.
duda, do you know the square footage of retail in oakbrook village?
I should, because I did the approvals in 2012.
I believe we're about 150,000 square feet and 270 apartments, if I recall.
okay, so...
around 270, 280.
okay, 150,000 square feet of retail, and you have around 200...
270, 280 apartments.
270, 280 apartments, okay.
and...
would you say that the retail, specifically trader joe's, is a success?
do you think trader joe's?
trader joe's has been very successful.
we were the first trader joe's in south orange county a long time ago, in the 1980s.
and we relocated them a few years ago to give them a space that was 50% larger,
and they are doing very well in it.
and I believe rei is doing very well; we moved them in a couple years ago.
I was going to ask about rei.
yeah.
what's been hard is the restaurant tenants have had a hard time.
without the mall and without anything between el toro and the mall.
understood.
yeah.
okay.
so, just to clarify, 150,000 square feet of retail.
christine, is that correct?
yeah.
our property manager is here.
it's approximately that.
yes.
and then it is mixed-use.
so it has the shops on the bottom, and it has what the vsp describes as the
apartments on the top.
yes, it's a five-story building, four levels of apartments.
we have a level and a half of parking in the back and about 10,000 square feet of
retail in that building.
and then we have a mix of the other buildings that we built in the '80s that we
remodeled as part of it to bring
it up to the level of the requirements of the specific plan.
and we did a full facelift of all the buildings.
and then as we've built the new building, like the new trader joe's building, and
hopefully soon a new restaurant.
we've been increasing the architecture.
thank you so much.
I appreciate it.
okay.
councilman wheeler.
this conversation has spurred a question for me.
since you're in oakbrook village, that's right next door, one problem that's plagued
every city in california,
and laguna's definitely not an exception, is whenever you have a high-density project
near you, the way the state works things,
they never allow the cities to
require enough parking places.
with all of these potential buildings, apartment complexes, and housing, wouldn't
that be somewhat of a problem?
aren't you kind of worried that all this increased parking is going to come over and
dominate oakbrook village and kind of hurt
your retail?
one of the first things I looked at when the plan was published was how much parking
was provided.
we had a real concern about the previously approved plan because so much of the
parking was in parking structures, not anywhere near the retail.
it appears to me that there is more parking in the retail areas, which is good,
because if the restaurants are really successful,
they need lots of parking.
and it looks like, unlike some of the other buildings approved recently in the city,
that the apartments are going to...
the multifamily apartments have the appropriate amount of parking.
I didn't see in the staff report a reduction in parking like I saw with the building
across the street from us.
yeah, it was in the report.
there's a reduction of approximately 2,000.
yes, but in terms of the ratio of parking per apartment unit.
well, before it was 1,500, and there was, you know, 2,000 higher.
now it's approximately 1,450, and it's 2,000 lower.
so that's a big percentage difference.
yeah, I believe my analysis was that most of that had to do with the reduction of
office space, the 465,000 square feet of office.
but we are always concerned about parking.
and honestly, in our apartment building, we provided the parking per code.
it comes out to around two per unit.
and it gets used very well.
a lot of people have cars here.
and at the rate of rents that you have to get to have a new building,
you tend to have higher-income people living in these buildings.
thank you.
all right.
and hang on, I just wanted to answer maybe one of your questions about the
stipulation that we deal with the south side of the site,
should it be approved, and that
that accessibility into your site be improved.
I would also say, just as an architect and somebody who's been around projects that
are this large, maybe $700 million, something like that,
that street will probably have to be done more than once during construction, just
because of construction traffic and other things that will need
to go under the street for later phases.
and so that which is taking place in the very first part of the construction, if this
is approved,
will not be the only time that that street will be addressed, just for your
clarification.
thank you, you know, for honoring us with your presence.
it's nice to have both the hospital and the oakbrook site, which are the two major
neighbors.
otherwise, we've got a freeway and a small shopping center on the other side of el
toro.
so I really appreciate both of you coming tonight and giving us your opinion.
all right.
with that, thank you, mr.
loper.
thank you.
also, to you, dave, some of the questions that you were asking at the end about
parking,
I think it would be really appropriate to ask staff in regard to...
mr.
loper would not necessarily know the depth and detail of our particular project, but
they should.
okay, next speaker.
yes, we have phyllis roberts, and then next will be ann owens.
hello.
hi.
welcome.
dear members of the city council, my name is phyllis roberts,
and I am just a resident that's lived in laguna hills for 29 years.
I don't belong to any organization other than a little volunteer work I do, but
I'm really here just to urge the city council to approve and vote yes on the revised
development plan for the village at laguna
hills.
the prolonged lack of development in this area has become a blight on our community,
and it represents a significant loss of much-needed revenue for our city.
I don't want to see the builder lose the funding due to any more delays, and I think
it's time to move forward.
I'm not really sure of the specific mix of low versus very-low-income housing.
I believe there are other housing experts that have addressed that.
but I just believe that the critical need for senior housing is a major positive in
the overall plan.
seniors are heavily impacted by the high cost of living.
no one should have to choose between basic needs like food or medicine and housing.
so if this approach is the quickest way to get this project started, I fully support
it.
additionally, I hope there will be a commitment to provide housing for
very-low-income individuals in the next phase of residential development.
that appears to have been addressed.
I think it's important to have workforce members close to local employment
opportunities, like the hospital and all the retail that's going to go in, the
hotel, which I hope happens by the time the olympics comes around.
anyway, I just really am excited because I'm kind of tired of the pumpkin patch, the
dry lot, christmas tree lot, and
I've lived here long enough to see them all.
to see a dirt lot, and so I'm ready to see this thing get approved, and let's move
forward.
it might not be perfect for every need, but I think if you don't put a shovel in the
ground soon,
we're back to square one again.
so I just hope that you all approve the project and we can move forward.
that's it.
thank you.
any questions?
thank you, phyllis.
next.
we have ann owens, and the next will be ana gromis.
hello, planning commission, and thank you.
I want to thank especially mayor caskey and pro tem mathis for all your work that you
have done in the last year and a half
to bring us to where we are today.
my name is ann owens, and I'm a retired teacher from saddleback school district and a
member of welcoming neighbors home.
I've worn my little blue shirt here for many, many years as this project has started
out, and
I've been following it along into the final stage that we are at today.
I am basically representing two of the demographics that this project is aimed at, as
I am a senior, and I was a teacher.
and so, being a teacher, most of my friends have not had the incomes to afford any
kind of house in orange county today.
when you heard what elizabeth was sharing about a family of four, I believe, you can
earn $134,000 and still
be qualified for low-income housing, and a teacher's salary is nowhere near that.
so many of my friends who do have houses now basically
got there through buying a condo or townhouse first, and since you're offering these
in this new development,
I think that's a very positive step, and I wish you were offering more low-income
housing
for families, which I would really promote. But since it probably is not going to
happen, I think this is the next best result.
secondly, since I am a senior, I'm very pleased the affordable housing piece is going
to be in one pad,
going to be near the hospital, going to be near public transportation, and going to
be given priority
as to being in the first phase of the development.
I urge you to approve this, as was mentioned in these slides earlier on, time is of
the essence,
in order to get into this
portal in 2026 for...
uh...
financing, it's not like going to, you know, buy a house; you go to the bank and you
can take out a mortgage.
I remember I went to a presentation once that a nonprofit was putting out on
financing, and they explained that I'm a teacher,
so I'm very visual.
as a hamburger, with the bun being a layer, the lettuce being a layer, the tomato
being a layer,
and the patty being the thing that brought it all together.
and sometimes there were six, seven, eight, nine, and ten different sources that meta,
who was supposedly going to be building this,
will have to secure in order to build this, which takes an enormous amount of time
and skill to do.
so I urge you to approve this development tonight so financing can start immediately.
let's not put it off any longer.
I think if you make a decision to approve this plan, for all seniors in your
community, a safe, modern, and affordable place to live.
thank you.
you slid right into home plate.
I think we have a question right over here.
hello.
welcome.
I had to smile when you said you'd worn your shirt here to be in the meetings.
I'm surprised it's not worn out by now after 13 years.
my question is, this is the first evolution or change in the project where the
affordable housing has been taken from being integrated to being
isolated in one building.
I guess I'd like your perspective, your organization's.
in the past, I always thought that the theory was that it was best to have people
with varied incomes live together and be
integrated.
as opposed to being segregated, to avoid things like, you know, stigmas or, "that's
where the poor building is," you know.
isn't that a consideration?
I agree with you.
I think it is a good idea to try to integrate a little affordable housing.
if you go through irvine, they have affordable housing in all those big, beautiful
buildings around there,
and you can't tell what the affordable apartment is from what the market-price
apartment is.
I do agree with you.
however, I feel if we wait for that to happen,
for the amount of years that we're hearing that this is going to take to accomplish,
at least by putting this building,
and it is true what elizabeth said, seniors are the number one growing demographic
for needing affordable housing.
and so I think if we can get that done in the first phase,
at least we know it's being accomplished in a timely manner and will help those
people.
it'd be nice to have the best of both worlds and be able to do both.
but if we have to make a choice, I think this is probably a very good decision.
thank you.
any other questions?
okay, thank you very much.
next.
we are, by the way, going to go about another 10 minutes or so, and then
I'm going to ask for a motion to continue this to 6 o'clock.
so we're going to take about a 20-minute break.
everyone use the restroom, and then we'll continue right where we left off. And so,
the next speaker, ana gromis,
and the next will be collin powers. Good evening, mayor caskey, mayor pro tem mathis,
and members of the council. Ana gromis here,
representing the building industry association, specifically the orange county
chapter. I really agree with all the other comments that were made this evening
regarding
the economic benefit to the city and
with the added retail, the added commercial space, the restaurants, and of course the
two hotels.
but the main focus of our association and the thing I want to talk about tonight is
the significant impact that this project is
going to have for housing in the city of laguna hills.
this project alone is going to reach
73.4% of your rhna allocation, which is 1,985 units.
and the 1,457 units, including the 200 deed-restricted units, are going to make a
significant impact.
really, the solution to the housing crisis is more supply.
so if we have more demand, we need to increase supply.
that helps to address the affordability issues and a number of other issues for
workforce housing surrounding this neighborhood.
the project includes a diverse mix of multifamily apartments, for-sale townhomes, and
single-family detached homes, providing housing opportunities for individuals,
families, seniors,
and first-time homebuyers of all income levels and stages of life.
as you know, california continues to face an unprecedented housing crisis across the
region, not just orange county.
orange county's population is aging at a rate that is faster than all the other
surrounding counties, so I'm really happy to see
that this project is addressing senior housing as well. Biaoc is committed to working
collaboratively with local jurisdictions, and we're really happy to see
that laguna hills is forward-thinking and helping to address housing needs for all
income levels and all stages of life.
thank you for your time.
thank you. Any questions? Okay, thank you very much.
oh, wait a minute, erica.
yes, I just have a question for you.
so I understand you mentioned that we have a housing crisis because of numbers of
units.
how, I mean, recently we've had a population decline in california where we've lost
representatives, and I am wondering how those two facts relate.
they work together, so we have had the mass exodus out of california, as we say, but
we've also had increased costs
of housing, and there just isn't enough housing available for the income levels that
are represented across the region. And I'd be happy to share
more data with you via email, if that would be appropriate. Okay,
so are you rescinding the comment that the crisis is because of the inventory, or
that...? No, I'm not. I just want to make
sure I back it up with the exact data, and I don't have that in front of me at this
time.
okay, all right.
I wasn't expecting questions.
I apologize.
no worries.
thank you.
all right, dave.
yeah, this may not be a question you can answer off the top of your head either,
but the places that are being offered in this particular, you know, rendering of the
village there, we have the affordable housing, which is, as I
said, very, very low.
have you studied the levels that they're going to be in the whole project, or did you
sort of look at it generally?
so we've looked at it from a general perspective.
we didn't necessarily study the affordable specifically, but we do have members that
specialize in affordable,
and we'd be happy to take a further look at that.
yeah, because my thought is, and this will be a question probably for later, is that
of the affordable,
my understanding is that all the affordable units that are at the lowest level that
are made available are only for, like, studios, not for, like,
a family, a poor family.
and in the leap between that and the lowest level, I guess, townhomes,
is a quantum leap, and nobody will afford those in the lower income range. But are
you aware of any of those data?
so, unfortunately, I'm not, but I'm sure the applicant took all of that into
consideration. Later they can be prepared.
thank you.
thank you very much.
yeah, next. We have collin powers, and the next will be jamal naim.
good evening, mayor caskey, members of the city council.
my name is collin powers, and I'm here tonight on behalf of the orange county realtors.
I am the government affairs director there, and we are proud to represent over 14,000
realtors in the orange county area.
I'm here tonight to acknowledge the housing that was proposed as part of the village
at laguna hills.
according to the proposal, this project would add approximately 1,500 new homes,
including both rental and for-sale housing.
at a time when california continues to fall well short of meeting its housing needs,
adding new housing opportunities is incredibly welcome news.
orange county is an incredible place to live, work, and raise a family,
but too many people are finding it increasingly difficult to call it home.
we want teachers, first responders, young professionals, growing families, and
longtime residents alike to have the opportunity to put down roots in our communities.
while there are many aspects of this proposal for you to consider, we appreciate that
it includes a significant investment into new housing.
every community has a role to play in addressing our housing shortage, and increasing
the supply of both rental and ownership opportunities moves us in the
right direction.
we appreciate the time and effort all parties have shown in moving this project
forward,
and with that, I urge your support on this project.
thank you for your time and your consideration.
thank you.
all right.
any questions?
thank you very much.
appreciate it.
and one more, and then I think I'm going to call.
just one more?
okay.
we have jamal naim.
good evening.
I wasn't expecting to be standing here tonight.
don't worry about that.
but I am very much in favor of this project, and I was looking to see if there is any
access to the freeway
somehow, at least one way, when it's going out of the shopping center to the freeway.
that would make it much easier,
because it's going to be a lot of traffic, I guess.
so that's an idea.
and the next center, the shopping center,
like what mr. Galiti mentioned, I think it would be nice to have a common area in
between.
so it's just for—how am I going to say it?
because both are different.
if there is something in between, common between them, they invested—I'm sorry—they
invested something in between,
it makes something unique between both properties, both centers.
just an idea.
and I didn't present myself.
I'm just retired, and I studied civil engineering.
and I'm writing a book.
could I say the name?
it's capitalism plus corruption equals catastrophe: the story of my business life.
so right now I don't have a business, I don't have anything, but I used to have big
businesses.
but that's very important, that's my story.
for all my life, dealing with the big guys face to face without me knowing,
but they come after, and they don't want me in their businesses, many businesses.
so thank you very much for allowing me to speak.
any questions?
hearing none.
okay, so...
I'm fine.
thank you.
this is actually moving along very nicely, in my opinion.
we haven't had very much of anything run over, and...
appreciate everyone's ideas.
we're going to get to everybody who wants to speak tonight.
but I'm going to ask for a motion to continue this meeting until 6 o'clock.
and then we'll come back, and we'll start right where we left off.
okay, I'd like to make a motion, but can we make it 20 minutes?
15 is a little short.
yeah, that's fine.
okay, I'll make a motion we adjourn for 20 minutes.
okay.
do we have a second?
second.
all right.
all those in favor—we won't do a roll call for this.
all those in favor?
aye.
all right.
that passes unanimously.
and we'll allow a break, walk around a little bit, and we'll see you back at 6
o'clock.
yeah, why don't you?