Development May Make November Ballot

A second developer is proposing to build 34 homes on a ranch that lines Ortega Highway, but voters will have the final say.

An , Trumark Homes of Danville, has since backed out.

Shea Homes of Walnut has asked the city to put on the November ballot a measure that would shift around the open space on the 20.64-acre parcel known as The Oaks, preserving the equestrian facility and building large-lot homes in a Y-shape around the stables.

The result would actually be a slight increase in area designated in open space, according to a staff report.

“Our development objective is to create a unique residential community while preserving a functional, high-quality equestrian center,” wrote John Danvers, vice president for Shea, in a letter to the city.

Located off Ortega Highway at 31000 Avenida Siega, the Oaks Farm is a horse jumping, training and breeding facility founded and owned by Joan Smith, the great granddaughter of Orange County pioneer James Irvine.

It's been for , listed at nearly $20 million. 

The City Council will consider at its Tuesday meeting initiating the planning process for Shea that would ultimately lead to a citywide election.

Measure X, a ballot initiative approved in 2008, requires that any changes to land designated as open space in the city’s General Plan – the blueprint for development – go before the voters for approval.

Shea Homes has not yet put in a formal proposal, according to the staff report. However, with the deadline looming to qualify items for the Nov. 6 general election, staff is recommending the city move ahead with a change in the General Plan so that the developer can make it to the ballot.

“The filing deadline for the Nov. 6, 2012, general election would likely be Aug. 10, 2012,” wrote Associate Planner Nick Taylor. “This imposes a very restrictive timeline for entitlement processing.

“If the applicant is unable to reach the general election filing deadline, a special election would be required,” Taylor added. Shea would have to pick up the costs of a special election, which could total as much as $80,000.

If the measure is included on the Nov. 6 general election ballot, the city then absorbs the costs, which would be $10,000-$20,000, Taylor wrote.

Last fall, Trumark approached the city about a similar project with two fewer homes for The Oaks. Officials there have since backed out, said James O’Malley, executive vice president of land acquisition for Trumark.

“It was the market. We felt that the home prices required to achieve the needed revenues and cover the costs of the land, etc., could not be met,” O’Malley said. “Truly, that simple.”

The City Council meets at 6 p.m. at , 32400 Paseo Adelanto.