City Seeks Public Input on Lower Rosan Proposals

By Allison Jarrell

San Juan Capistrano City Council members are getting closer to deciding what type of development will go on the Lower Rosan Ranch property, and they’re asking for the public’s input before making a final decision.

The Council has been reviewing 13 development proposals for the 15-acre property off of Stonehill Drive since January, and according to a city staff report, the field has been narrowed to five bids. In order to gauge interest and get input on those five proposals from the community, the Council is hosting a workshop on Wednesday, March 29 at 5 p.m. at City Hall, located at 32400 Paseo Adelanto.

During the workshop, members of the public will be able to listen to presentations on each of the five proposals being considered, as well as address the Council with any questions, concerns and opinions. At the end of the discussion, the Council will have the option to direct staff on the next steps of the evaluation process.

According to the staff report, “the city will receive approximately 10 percent of the net proceeds of the land sale,” which will go to the city’s general fund.

The city has not yet announced any community workshops regarding the sale of its other redevelopment property—the Camino Real Playhouse site—which received 10 development bids. City Manager Ben Siegel said back in January that “staff will be recommending that any evaluation option includes a public outreach and public input component.”

In a March 9 email to the Council, playhouse president Tom Scott offered the playhouse auditorium as a facility for conducting any public workshops for either of the properties.

Below are the five Lower Rosan proposals currently under consideration (as described by the potential buyers):

• Frontier Real Estate Investments, LLC: 
  • A Home Depot and restaurant pad on the front 10 acres, and a secondary non-retail use on the rear 5 acres. The overall project is projected to generate about $500,000 in sales tax revenue for the city and generate more than 200 jobs.
• Ganahl Lumber Company:
  •  Retailer of lumber, building materials and hardware. The products carried and services offered are aimed primarily at contractors and other professionals. The layout and architectural designs are unique and award-winning.
• REDA Acquisitions, LLC:
  • The Stonehill Commons—a mixed-use business park that incorporates service retail, medical and creative office/R&D uses along with light industrial and mini-storage or ancillary auto parking for the neighboring auto dealers.
• Synerglenn Community, Inc.:
  • Special needs housing and active senior apartments (55+), consisting of 67 1-2 bedroom senior units and 50 single-room units for the special needs community, with access to sport courts, activity rooms and cafeteria. The proposal also includes an agricultural buffer between the neighborhood and Capistrano Valley Mobile Estates, a parking structure for the neighboring dealerships, and a storage facility of 80 containers.
• Williams Family Partners, LLC:
  •  A master planned neighborhood comprised of residential small lot detached homes and attached town homes for first and second-time home buyers. The proposal also includes a business hotel on the southern part of the property near Stonehill Drive. In addition, Williams Family Partners would donate the 25-acre Williams Family Ranch property located in the north gateway to the city.

To view the full workshop agenda, including summaries of each proposal, click here.