Hortons take lead in low-density drive

Anyone who believes the old canard “You can’t fight City Hall” doesn’t know Jim and Jan Horton, two leaders in this city’s grass-roots “responsible redevelopment” movement.

The mild-mannered but persistent pair has already achieved some success in helping scale down density proposals for the Town Center project. Now they’re asking Yorba Lindans to support the Right to Vote citizen initiative in an upcoming special election.

The initiative is similar to one Newport Beach voters approved in 2000. It would require a public vote on major land use decisions throughout the city, not just the Old Town area.

Of course, the Hortons face a tough fight. City Hall is populated with politicians whose election-year campaign accounts bulge with thousands of dollars donated by developers and other out-of-town individuals and businesses associated with the building industry.

And the same professional political consultant who helped elect all five sitting City Council members now works as an advisor to Old Town developer Michael Dieden.

But the Hortons believe Yorba Linda should “retain the qualities that initially attracted us all to this town: low density, less traffic congestion and a safe place to raise our families.”

Despite their full-time careers--Jim manages a 55-year-old family business and Jan is an occupational therapist--they speak at most City Council and Redevelopment Agency meetings. Jim maintains the informative www.ylforum.org Web site, and both helped organize the effective Yorba Linda Residents for Responsible Redevelopment.

The Hortons began questioning Old Town area density numbers when they returned from their March 2004 honeymoon and asked a city official about plans for the 4.7-acre former strawberry field on Lakeview Avenue, just west of their Cedar Avenue home.

Assistant City Manager David Gruchow e-mailed them back the next day, noting the city’s Redevelopment Agency bought the land “for an affordable housing project” and the Town Center Master Plan envisioned “about 125 rental family units on this site.”

Now, after months of meetings and comments from dozens of low-density advocates, developer Dieden’s new plan is to build 13 single-family and 40 to 50 market-rate multi-family homes at the location, a revision Dieden said resulted from “neighborhood input.”

Naturally, the Hortons credit others, saying, “The changes are the result of the actions and voices of many people, including some who have been faithfully expressing their concerns for years.” That’s certainly true, but residents owe special thanks to the Hortons for their leadership in the endless fight to preserve Yorba Linda’s low-density heritage.

A FINAL NOTE--Former five-time Mayor Hank Wedaa called to say he appreciated a recent column spotlighting Councilman Mike Duvall’s state Assembly campaign. Wedaa said, “It’ll be refreshing to have an honest man in the California legislature.”

Wedaa, a low-density leader during his record 28 years on the City Council, also said he expects the Right to Vote initiative to carry, despite “lots of opposition.” He thinks developers “will spend big to defeat it, because the idea might spread to other cities.”

And Fairmont Hill Community Assn. resident Sharlene Dunn e-mailed, “I’ve lived in this area since 1966, raised four children and have watched our gracious living turn to greed on the part of developers and unconcern on the part of a non-responsive City Council.”