An appeal trying to stop an apartment complex with 306 units and an attached parking structure was denied by the Dana Point City Council this week, allowing the project to move forward in getting the approvals it needs to build in Doheny Village.
Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, or S.A.F.E.R., argued environmental studies done as part of the project’s consideration didn’t meet health and environmental requirements. The foundation also said the project’s plans for affordable housing don’t fit with state guidelines and that not enough care is being taken to address impacts on climate change.
But the City Council on Tuesday, June 18, voted to deny the appeal and support the development agreement with builder Toll Brothers for the housing project that would replace a school bus yard, though it is requiring the proceeds to the Capistrano Unified School District from the lease of the property go to benefit Dana Point schools and Toll Brothers to add some extra open space if the city narrows Sepulveda Boulevard. Also, the zoning changes made to allow the development are only applicable to Toll Brothers and not another developer.
Councilmember Michael Villar — who represents Capistrano Beach, where the project is planned — voted yes on the EIR appeal and the amendment to the development agreement, but voted no on the other items required to approve the overall development.
While Villar said his Capistrano Beach community is very dear to him and he knows that Doheny Village “needs a shot int he arm,” he couldn’t support the project in the end because Toll Brothers would not guarantee it would be built by union workers.
“I’m struggling the most that this is not a union job,” Villar said. “I can’t support it and I feel terrible that that is the position I’m in. It’s critically important to me personally that we find a way to have union workers on that job.”
The Victoria Boulevard Apartments project would be built at Victoria and Sepulveda boulevards, replacing the school district’s bus yard. Nearby are two churches, a nursery school and a fire station.
In addition to providing parking in a six-story structure, the two- to five-story apartment community proposes a fitness room, a rooftop garden, a pool deck and a clubhouse. The structures would not exceed 57 feet and would occupy a little over three acres, as proposed. The developers also plans a dog park and two public paseos on the ground level.
The 17-or-so residents who weighed in on the project were about evenly divided. Those opposed were concerned about impacts on traffic and open space.
Toni Nelson, a longtime Capistrano Beach resident, pushed for approval of the project, saying the apartments “will jumpstart revitalization in Doheny Village, pave the way for better connectivity, and modernize and beautify while preserving the essential village culture.”
City Attorney Patrick Munoz said the project will now go to the California Coast Commission for final approval before it can move forward. It typically takes at least 18 months before the commission makes a decision, he added.
“I hope they get building sooner than later,” said Mayor Jamey Federico, adding that while the project may not be perfect, “it has some benefits for everybody.”
“It’s an upgrade to the area and provides funds for the schools and removes an ugly blighted schoolyard that has been there 50 years,” he said. “To me the benefit outweighs the drawbacks.”
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