By Jerry Nieblas, San Juan Capistrano
To begin, please allow us to share our mission statement of the Capistrano Historical Alliance Committee: “With integrity, the Capistrano Historical Alliance Committee proudly recognizes, respects and honors all the historical elements of San Juan Capistrano – its land, its structures, its families and its traditions…”
That being said, there’s a dinosaur in San Juan Capistrano and it’s caused quite a “roar,” no pun intended. Two facets exist in this controversy, the historical and the factual.
First, the historical Los Rios Street is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the state of California and is designated as such with the National Historic Register. The National Historic Register has its own set of guidelines, which must be upheld. Sacred land and memories are being violated. Zoomars has stated its intention to create a mini-dinosaur area. Frankly, there’s nothing wrong with a dinosaur learning or play area for children. It’s not a bad idea, but it’s the wrong location.
Last and most importantly, the facts: A dangerous precedence has been set. Zoomars did not get permission from the City Council, Cultural Heritage Commission or the Planning Department. Zoomars did not pull permits and Zoomars did not consult with San Juan Capistrano’s Code Enforcement staff. The most bothersome is that Zoomars directly violated the Los Rios Specific Plan. Residents and businesses alike on Los Rios Street are obligated to abide by the plan. Zoomars needs to be held accountable and should remove the dinosaur until the issues of compliance and more are decided.
The bottom line is that all of this was avoidable if Zoomars had followed due process, instead of exercising blatant disregard for well-established laws and ordinances.
