Construction is underway for a $1 million improvement plan that will expand accessibility and pedestrian mobility in downtown San Juan Capistrano. 

The project includes paving the Arguello Way footpath, which provides pedestrians direct access from Mission San Juan Capistrano and the Mission Promenade to the city’s historic heart along the train tracks.

Editors’ Note: This dispatch is part of the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service, working with student journalists to cover public policy issues across Orange County. If you would like to submit your own student media project related to Orange County civics or if you have any response to this work, contact admin@voiceofoc.org.

The Mission, located at the intersection of Camino Capistrano and Old Mission Road, attracts over 300,000 visitors annually to the south OC city, according to the Mission’s website. 

Running alongside Ortega’s Capistrano Trading Post, the short footpath connects Camino Capistrano to the Los Rios Historic District, one of California’s oldest neighborhoods. 

City officials approved the project in a 3-1 vote on March 18, with Councilmember Sergio Farias opposed and Councilmember John Taylor recused for conflicts of interest. 

Construction on the Arguello Way project began last month and is expected to be completed by July. 

Current conditions have contributed to significant safety concerns for both vehicular and pedestrian traffic, according to city engineer Nardy Khan. Walkable paths on Arguello Way and adjacent sections of Camino Capistrano are too narrow to effectively accommodate foot traffic. 

“I watch families navigating baby carriages going past that point, and having other traffic and pedestrians having to wait for them,” Councilmember John Campbell said at the meeting. 

Sidewalks to the west of Camino Capistrano are also being repaved and widened to accommodate foot traffic, including adding more space in front of the Trading Post. New curb ramps and railings will be installed to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

The project also includes improvements to landscaping, irrigation and street drainage, alongside the addition of bike racks and new “bistro lighting” that matches recent installations on Verdugo Street.

City officials discussed their concerns about the cost of these improvements during the March meeting. According to Campbell, the project’s cost has almost doubled since it was discussed a year ago.

“It’s a big concern for me, when we’re looking at a number twelve months ago at $560,000 and we’re coming in right now at $1,146,000,” Campbell said.  

Khan explained that aspects of the project’s scope had been cut, including the replacement of traffic signals, in order to reduce the pathway’s price tag. 

City officials also approved the appropriation of about $587,000 from other funds to reduce the additional costs.

“Our budget of $560,000 is pretty stale at this point,” City Manager Benjamin Siegel said at the meeting. “I think this speaks to a larger and concerning trend right now that many cities are seeing with their major capital projects, in that the cost of labor and materials are escalating dramatically.”

According to Siegel, the growing price tag is the outcome of earlier council action. 

“When you approved the budget and told us to move forward with this project, you looked at a concept design — since it’s a relatively straightforward concept,” he said. “You just said, ‘Move forward, we don’t need to see the final design and approve that.’”

Despite a two-year planning process, not all community members are welcoming improvements with open arms.  

Opposition came from Bill Ortega, owner of the Capistrano Trading Post, a business directly behind the sidewalk construction. He shared concerns about landscaping changes and their potential adverse impacts on his business.

“You are changing an iconic view that is associated with the city,” Ortega said. “This also will likely hurt my business. I don’t know that for sure, but that’s my professional opinion.”

Councilmember Campbell disagreed with Ortega’s concerns.  

“The widening that will be done there will significantly enhance the pedestrian access to Ortega’s,” Campbell said. “I believe strongly that enhanced access is going to have a very positive effect on Mr. Ortega’s business.”

Others, like Councilmember Howard Hart, voiced support for Ortega. 

“When I think of San Juan Capistrano, some of my earliest memories [are] of that building — and god I love it,” Hart said. 

“It’s just so San Juan Capistrano, you know. It’s us.”

Resident David Swerdlin echoed Ortega’s concerns about the potential negative impacts on pedestrian shoppers, focusing on the landscaping changes. 

“The higher the planters and the higher the plants in front of his trading post, the more of a visual barrier that is,” Swerdlin said. “We have to be very careful about the effect of what this project does to Bill’s business.”

Farias voted against the project due to landscaping concerns brought forth by Ortega, articulating concerns about the regularity of upkeep and maintenance.  

“Not that we should consider one person more than the other just because they’ve been around a long time,” he said, “but to me, that matters.” 

Mayor Troy A. Bourne said he felt the council was getting “a little bit hung up on plants” when it came to the landscaping issue.

But he also shared Councilmember Farias’s concerns and recommended to city staff that landscaping elements remain under 12 inches to reduce the potential visual impairment.

“I think it would be absolutely an enhancement to the public,” Bourne said. “It’s sort of a way that we can meet a very important business owner, a very established icon in our community and try to bring that safety in.”