Council members have strayed from campaign promises

Residents are still challenging City Council actions to increase housing density in western and central Yorba Linda, including the historic downtown area, which city leaders call "the heart and soul of the community."

The dialogue is often contentious, and council members sometimes fail to provide a fair forum for opposing opinions during their twice-monthly meetings. But the controversy reminds us of a major reason for this town's incorporation 38 years ago.

Voters chose cityhood in 1967 to wrest control of zoning matters from planning bureaucrats in Santa Ana, and in 1972 residents approved a strict low-density General Plan to guide future growth.

In municipal elections ever since, winning candidates have touted their low-density platforms, including the balloting that selected the current council members in 2000, 2002 and 2004.

A review of campaign materials mailed to voters' homes in those years shows that Allen Castellano, Mike Duvall, Ken Ryan, Jim Winder and Keri Wilson were all riders on the low-density political bandwagon.

In 2000, Ryan noted, "We must maintain our high quality community identity and small-town charm," and pledged, "I will use all my skills to preserve Yorba Linda." In his 2002 re-election campaign, he claimed, "I have consistently voted to maintain our low-density General Plan."

Wilson, who was Ryan's 2002 running mate, maintained, "Our zoning has promoted low and medium density housing. We cannot tolerate high-density housing or destruction of our open spaces."

In 2000, Winder noted, "We must protect the unique quality created by our hillsides, streetscapes, semi-rural and developed neighborhoods." In 2004, he took credit for opposing two "unnecessary" General Plan amendments "which allowed 598 additional housing units."

And in 2004, Duvall promised, "My goal is to maintain the quality of life we have all come to enjoy."

But maintaining the city’s "small-town charm" and "quality of life" shouldn’t involve high-density zoning changes concentrated in the city’s western and central regions, whose residents established the low-density environment so many people moved to Yorba Linda to enjoy.

Of course, council members also campaigned for the Town Center project. However, their promises were similar to Castellano's 2004 pledge to "restore our historic Main Street." Voters heard words like "preserve” and “protect,” not "high-density," "more traffic" and “we’ll reposition longtime homes and businesses.”

The latest Town Center concept plan envisions a range of 155 to 185 housing units on 16 acres of the original first phase, including seven single-family and from 80 to 100 courtyard units on the 4.7-acre “strawberry field” parcel on the east side of Lakeview Avenue just south of Lemon Drive.

But, as Ryan is fond of saying, "The devil’s in the details," and we won't know the full details until many months from now, when the real plans and numbers are presented for council discussion and action.

A FINAL NOTE--Some residents see the council's recent rejection of a 114-unit senior apartment complex on five acres at the southeast corner of Mariposa and Lakeview avenues as a hopeful sign for future decisions on high-density development.

But one reason they gave for nixing the project--that it was too dense for a major entrance to the city--should apply to all of Yorba Linda's neighborhoods, not just the city's prominent entryways.