San Juan Capistrano City Council members approved another residential development in town, this time a mixed-use project featuring a restaurant and fitness center within the city’s historic downtown region.
Council members also considered a performing arts center development that would be right next to the 95-unit apartment complex, but tabled that approval for now in order for the council to give the developer more feedback on design and discuss issues surrounding public land.
During their Tuesday night meeting, council members voted 3-1 to move forward with the residential components, planned off El Camino Real and Old Mission Road near Camino Capistrano.
Councilmember John Campbell voted no and Councilmember John Taylor recused himself from the vote due to a conflict of interest — Taylor’s son is an employee of the developer.
The projects are slated to sit on a seven-acre parcel of land near the Blas Aguilar Adobe Museum and Historic Town Center Park.
City Leaders OK Another Housing Development Amid Pressure from State
The newly approved mixed use development comes as city officials grapple to meet state housing mandates.
By the end of the decade, state officials require that San Juan Capistrano zone for 1,054 new housing units — that includes 270 very low-income, 173 low-income, 183 moderate-income and 428 above moderate-income units.
The mixed-use development is expected to feature 95 market-rate apartment units up to four stories, a 3,800-square-foot restaurant and a 3,100-square-foot fitness center.
Apartments would be a mix of one and two bedrooms, and there’s also pre-existing plans for a four-level parking structure near the project.
It’s proposed by Dan Almquist, a San Juan Capistrano resident and developer who’s worked on a number of projects in the city, including the River Street Marketplace and Capistrano Plaza. He’s also working on The Canopy development that’s bringing retail and restaurants to the Irvine Great Park.
It also comes after council members approved a five-story apartment building near city hall and directed staff to study another proposed development that would replace the existing Capistrano Business Park with 225 new homes.
[Read: San Juan Capistrano Grapples With Mandated Housing Numbers]
Almquist said they did not take a density bonus on the project because there is no affordable component.
“Our goal is that these will be the nicest apartments in Orange County,” he told council members at the meeting. “I’ve talked to a lot of people in town that could foresee themselves actually selling their house in San Juan to move in to one of these. I think it will provide a great opportunity for young professionals and people that want to live here to have a nice rental opportunity.”
Mayor Troy Bourne pointed to state programs that aim to build denser housing near transportation hubs.
Notably, a California state bill known as SB 79 would allow housing developers to build apartment buildings up to seven stories as long as they’re within a half-mile of a major transportation hub — even if local zoning restrictions would otherwise prevent such development.
The site for the project is within a half mile from the San Juan Capistrano train station.
“A property of this designation, this close to a regional transportation hub — the state has taken it upon itself to dictate what can and can’t be done here in a different way than what our local zoning does,” Bourne said at the meeting, pointing out that residential development might be constructed in this location anyway even if they didn’t approve this project.
Last week, SB 79 was approved by state lawmakers and now awaits a signature from California Gov. Gavin Newsom to become law.
Councilmember Howard Hart also voiced concern that the state could step in and build its own housing on site if this project isn’t approved.
“What happens if we don’t approve this? What comes next?” he said. “Because there will be something there, and it’s not going to be a city park.”
Some residents, including representatives from the housing nonprofit Kennedy Commission, voiced concerns that the residential development doesn’t feature any affordable housing.
“To date, the City has made more progress in approving above-moderate housing while falling far behind in meeting its obligations to low- and very low-income households,” reads a letter signed by Kennedy Commission Executive Director Cesar Covarrubias.
“Advancing a proposal for 95 additional market-rate apartment units without an affordability component will only exacerbate this imbalance and move the City further away from its state-mandated housing obligations,” Covarrubias said.
Council members said any type of housing, not just affordable components, helps address the state’s housing shortage by increasing supply to catch up with demand and lower costs.
“Adding any housing is important,” Councilmember Sergio Farias said at the meeting. “This project adds a type of housing that is really lacking in the city, and to me this is really important.”
Councilmembers Pause Progress on Performing Arts Center
A second part of the development would add a 48,000-square-foot performing arts center project with 450 seats at the city’s Historic Town Center Park.
Residents expressed concern about this portion of the project since part of the site proposed for the performing arts center sits on what’s currently public parkland.
The proposed project would replace eastern portions of the park with the performing arts center project and hardscaping while maintaining some green space on the western side.
That land transaction requires additional negotiation, discussion and approval from the council members before the project gets the final green light.
“Yes, this is public land,” Hart said at the meeting, “and I’m a little skittish about attacking that part right now.”
City officials also agreed they want the green space to remain as large as possible since the area is being minimized to accommodate the performing arts center.
Council members tabled approval of this portion of the development in order to give the developer more feedback on the design and talk through the public land issue.
“Let’s just say we’re not quite there yet on the performing arts center — maybe we’re close,” Bourne said. “I don’t know if the town is there yet in terms of letting this percolate a little bit, asking some of those questions.”
“Let’s come back and resolve some of these concerns that you guys have and address them a little bit more,” he said.
Councilmember Campbell voted no because he said he trusts the applicant and doesn’t think the process needs to be drawn out any more.
“I’m comfortable with the existing infrastructure that goes forward,” Campbell said at the meeting. “I feel strongly that the applicant has shown his integrity in the past and his willingness to work with us and move projects forward.”
Almquist expressed frustration that the performing arts center component wasn’t approved after spending five years working on the plans alongside city staff and design review committee members.
“It’s embarrassing that I’m sitting here tonight after I’ve gone through all these hearings for a building that I’m trying to get done for the community,” he said at the meeting. “I would just say, be careful, because I’m trying to hold a board together, I’m trying to move this forward, and I’m trying to solicit donations to get this built.”
“What’s the signal tonight when the council votes to basically deny the performing arts center?” he said.
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.