San Juan Capistrano residents are raising concerns that a development proposal could impact a large open space, which is also home to Putuidem Village.
It comes after the city council voted to initiate a study to assess proposed development at the Northwest Open Space earlier this year. The development would transform the area to include new community gathering spaces and vacation rental units.
Some residents are raising concerns that the move backtracks previous commitments that the land would remain a natural open space for the community, while city officials say the study doesn’t commit San Juan Capistrano to any development.
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The Northwest Open Space is a 65.5-acre property popular among locals for hiking, mountain biking trails, horseback riding and picnicking. In 1993, the city purchased the property to protect the area from future development.
The developer for this site, known as Legacy Ranch — formerly called Frontier — is spearheaded by San Juan Capistrano resident Dan Almquist, who is also developing the city’s new River Street Marketplace and efforts to create a retail center in Irvine’s Great Park.
Legacy Ranch’s updated plan for development in the open space — which expanded on an original proposal from 2022 — now includes 70 short-term rental cabins, a live entertainment event barn, a wedding chapel and three equestrian caretaker residences.
Almquist said these units could be rented out to local families for weekend “staycations.” He said the development is meant to create gathering spaces for the community to enjoy, in addition to private events.
“This is something that’s totally different and really intended for families and for the community,” he said at the Feb. 18 city council meeting.
City council members voted 4-0 at that February meeting to initiate the study. Councilmember John Taylor recused himself due to a conflict of interest.
San Juan Capistrano officials will now conduct various assessments, including environmental review, on the development plans over the next nine to 12 months, according to Assistant City Manager Matisse Reischl. Updated plans are expected to appear before both the planning commission and the city council for further discussion.
Mayor Troy Bourne emphasized the “yes” vote from February’s meeting will jumpstart environmental review and doesn’t fully commit the city to the development as proposed.
“The proposal will come back to the city council, at which point we could vote to support it with the understanding facts, or we could reject it entirely and say, ‘Thanks, we’re glad we studied it. We don’t like. We decide no,’” Bourne said at the meeting.
Councilmembers did not respond to requests for comments.
Is the Open Space About to Change?
Some residents remain unconvinced by the proposal, voicing concern that too much of the land will be repurposed from natural space to commercial development.
“This property is for the enjoyment of the residents. The proposal takes most of the land away from the residents,” resident Larry Kramer wrote to the council. “The 70 overnight stay units and the wedding chapel provide no benefit to the residents but only benefit visitors to San Juan Capistrano.”
Another concern is potential encroachment upon the culturally and spiritually significant land surrounding Putuidem Village, a cultural heritage site on the property.
Putuidem was the “mother” village for the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians and Acjachemen Nation, thriving for many years until the arrival of Mission San Juan Capistrano in the late 1770s, according to the Sacred Sites International Foundation.
It was not until December 2021 that Putuidem was reborn as a cultural museum and gathering place for the tribe.
“Ultimately we would not like to see any development and the preference of our tribe is to see this land preserved as open space in perpetuity,” wrote Matias Belardes, Chairman of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation, to the council in 2022.
[Read: Putuidem Village Unearths OC Indigenous History]
Legacy’s 2022 development plan focused on four core elements: equestrian, agriculture, recreation and an event barn.
The updated plan presented in February has nine elements: equestrian, agriculture, a chapel, the Swanner House, nature, trails, a community building, an event barn and the 70 “farm stay” cabins.
Long-time resident Jim Adam highlighted that the new proposal has vastly expanded the uses outlined in Legacy’s original plan.
Adam was a partner in a previous development proposal for this area that was considered by the council in 2022.
“You must adhere to the original plans for this project. You can’t simply change a project you sent out for bid,” Adam wrote to the council on Feb. 17. “With Legacy’s new proposal, everything would change.”
The potential addition of the vacation rental units transforms the plan in the eyes of some San Juan Capistrano residents.
“The motel Legacy wants to get approved is completely out of the question. It’s funny they call it a Farm Stay. It’s a motel,” Adam wrote. “It’s absolutely ridiculous you are even contemplating this proposal.”
During the February meeting, Councilmember John Campbell said the proposed 70 units were too dense for his liking and he’d prefer more open space be preserved in future development plans.
A Years-Long Process
The land’s redevelopment has been pending since 2017, when the city council first put out an open call for proposals for the area.
A month after entering into negotiations with a developer in March 2019, the council suspended considerations until officials could survey residents’ desired uses of the space.
City officials hosted a series of workshops, invited correspondence and opened a public survey in the summer of 2019. Residents were most interested in natural open space, walking and hiking trails, the construction of Putuidem Village and picnic areas, according to the survey.
In 2022, bids were reopened. After a competitive selection process, three proposals were selected and presented to the public at a meeting in May, including those by C&C, Capistrano Vineyards and Frontier.
During these initial considerations, many residents emphasized the preservation of the natural landscape due to its cultural significance, including the Hills for Everyone, Sacred Sites International Foundation and Puvungna Wetlands Protectors.
“Natural lands provide numerous benefits from carbon sequestration to improving the health of the community. They also provide opportunities for water infiltration, pollinator habitat, and local places to recreate,” Claire Schlotterbeck, executive director of Hills For Everyone, wrote in a 2022 letter.
“A sensitive design, conscientious of the context of Putuidem, is appropriate and respects the cultural significance of these ancestral lands.”
Because of its emphasis on leaving most of the land — about 85% — untouched, the Capistrano Vineyards proposal from 2022 was favored by both the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians & Acjachemen Nation and the San Juan Capistrano Historical Alliance.
Other residents preferred Frontier’s original plan to develop the space for a wide range of uses.
In June 2022, a month after proposals were made to the public, city officials gave exclusive negotiating rights to Frontier — now known as Legacy Ranch Partners.
A short-term license agreement in 2023 allowed them to begin repairs and remodeling on the historic Swanner House to continue its operation as a private events facility.
Despite resident concerns, council members emphasized new development will reenergize the area.
“This is not currently an attractive space,” Bourne said at the February meeting. “That’s why people don’t spend time out there. It is a fallow field. It is weeds. It is occasionally coyotes, and we do what we can to keep people from living there illegally.”
“This activates the space in a way that is attractive and accessible. Am I on board with everything that the Legacy Ranch project is proposing here? I don’t know. I’m going to have some questions. I’m not sure that everything that’s proposed here needs to happen the way it’s proposed.”
Angelina Hicks, Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor, contributed to this report