Bryan Streelman, who has lived for a year at Vantis, a housing and commercial area near Aliso Viejo Parkway and Enterprise, told City Council members Wednesday night that he has tried repeatedly to contact the city about potential changes at Vantis but has gotten no response, according to the O.C. Register.
So how did Aliso Viejo Mayor Carmen Cave react? In typical fashion of course. “The city is not trying to pull the wool over any owner’s eyes, and we are following a legal process,” Cave said. “Please rest assured that the city of Aliso Viejo … is not intending to mislead or otherwise lie to the public.”
Really? Then why has this issue been a subject of closed-door talks since April involving the city’s Vantis and Other Housing Opportunities Ad Hoc Committee – with NO reports to the public and no public input?
The proposed changes, which Shea Properties sent to the city in December, could swap out office buildings for a hotel and high-density apartments.
Cave told those who attended her recent State of the City address that “Aliso Viejo is not just a great place but is a fabulous place for business,” according to another O.C. Register article. But will it remain a great place to live if Cave ends up overdeveloping this city?
Remember that Cave was recently fired by the City of Menifee. Why you ask? Well according to the Press Enterprise, she said in an email that she was worried she would be blamed for what she believed was an overdue general plan.
But guess what? Cave was completely wrong – or she was outright lying. The Press Enterprise elaborated on her error:
The letter says the plan, which serves as a guideline for growth and development in the city for the foreseeable future, is due by law within 30 months of incorporation, but the city filed for two extensions, bringing the due date to April, 2013.
This would all be true if the city had not adopted the county’s general plan upon incorporation, Interim City Manager Rob Johnson told me.
Since the city actually has a general plan, those deadline’s don’t count, he said. The staff is still creating another one that better suits the needs of Menifee, however.
Cave also claims that she was retaliated against for working on an apartment complex that would require turning a low-density residential area into high-density.
Deputy Mayor Wallace Edgerton said he cannot comment on the potential lawsuit, but he can comment on the apartment project. He said he was upset when he heard that staff was spending a lot of time working on the project because it runs against what he and most of the council members favor — preservation of the open, rural character of Menifee.
There you have it. Cave apparently will say and do anything in order to support over-development – in Menifee and in Aliso Viejo. Fortunately for the people of Menifee, she got canned. Now the people of Aliso Viejo need to dump her too!