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Signature gatherers halfway to goal
Proponents of Town Center referendum face rain, police
By GRANT BINIASZ
YORBA LINDA STAR Thursday, January 5, 2006
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Despite the rain and holidays, Yorba Linda Residents for Responsible Redevelopment claimed initial success in gathering signatures for a referendum against city council ordinances on the city's new Town Center zoning regulations.
Jim Horton said he estimates the group has gathered about half of the 4,104 signatures they will need to force the council either to repeal the ordinance or put it to public vote.
The group has until Jan. 19 to obtain the signatures.
The new zoning regulations, adopted Dec. 20, would allow up to 330 homes and 407,321 square feet of commercial space on approximately 32 acres at the core of Old Town, and additional development on sites ringing the area.
Group members claim the development allowed by the new zoning regulations would increase crime rates and traffic and alter the city's image.
Council members argue that the zoning regulations are less-dense than those permitted in the city's general plan and that development will increase the area's appeal while bringing revenue to the city.
In order for the referendum to be certified, the group must gather the required signatures, 10 percent of the voting population of the city, for both of the ordinances.
Signatures must be gathered in official booklets which contain an exact replica of the ordinance for residents to review before signing.
Horton said the weather has not been the only obstacle signature gatherers have faced.
Proponents of the council's redevelopment efforts have been distributing fliers throughout the city, often in the same areas as those petitioning.
Horton brought a video camera to one petition site to document what he called "aggressive" and "physical" methods of campaigning.
Brea Police have been called to several of the petition sites, advising those on both sides.
"We're in quite a battle with the developer doing all he can to inhibit people's access to the petition," said Horton. "We just want to continue giving people an opportunity. That's what this is all about: giving people a chance to choose. Unfortunately, our opposition wants to prevent people from having the opportunity to choose and confuse the issue."
Police did arrest Lori Higgins, 46, on Sunday for throwing pro-development signs at passing cars on Imperial Hwy.
Police said Higgins, whose last address of record is Brea, may have been a transient suffering from mental illnesses.
They said they do not believe her actions were politically motivated.
On Saturday, Old Town Yorba Linda Partners, whose concept plan for a $200 million project on 20 acres in the Town Center area was approved in July, mailed residents a brochure highlighting the potential benefits of the project and discouraging them from signing the petition.
The letter was signed by four of five city council members and included a postage-paid postcard that allowed residents to withdraw their signature from the petition.
At Tuesday's council meeting, several residents demanded apologies over language in the brochure that referred to signature gatherers as "a small group of naysayers," which has "hired lawyers, attacked our environmental impact reports, and recruited operatives to stir up opposition to an approved master restoration plan."
In addition, residents also received a recorded call from Councilman Ken Ryan on Tuesday, recommending that they do not sign the petition.
"I don't believe the referendum or the initiative are good for our city," said Ryan at the meeting. "I do believe they will result in higher taxes, I believe they'll mean less money for schools and I do think they will cause declining property values in the long run."
Ryan cited the Black Gold Golf Course and Imperial Highway improvements as successful city projects that were initially opposed by residents desiring to maintain the city's "semi-rural" charm.
Ryan said the council has previously and will continue to allow development consistent with the city's character.
"We all live here," said council member Allen Castellano. "We all have a vested interest in this city and we all think this is important. This is invigorating Main Street."
The referendum that plan opponents are seeking is aimed at overturning two ordinances passed at the Dec. 20.
The first ordinance lays out the regulations for the Town Center PD zoning area and the second ordinance amends the existing zoning map of the city, designating the area as a "planned development" zone.
Planned development zones supercede other zoning regulations, and are more flexible than traditional approaches to zoning.
The limits for a "PD" zone apply to the overall area rather than individual sites.
In other words, homes and commercial space can be shifted from one site to another without regard to density restrictions, so long as the overall limit for the project is not exceeded.
Those overall limits are 501 homes and 560,012 square feet of commercial space.
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