Village of Sendero: Then and Now

Details are starting to emerge about Planning Area 1: the proposed Rancho Mission Viejo village of Sendero.  The OC Register has published an article that contains a little more detail about the village of Sendero.  Rancho Mission Viejo has published a map of the village, which we have reproduced below:

Rancho Mission Viejo Company’s Planned Sedero Development

Below is an earlier proposal for Planning Area 1, published about five years ago prior to the housing collapse but  following Rancho Mission Viejo Company’s settlement of lawsuits with the City of Mission Viejo and certain environmental entities.  Although the two graphics don’t offer the same level of detail, one can notice some interesting plan changes between the earlier proposal and the current PA1 development map.  Also, a kudos and a tip of the old hat to the Irvine Housing Blog for preserving the earlier planning map.  To our knowledge, it hasn’t been saved anywhere else on the internet.

An earlier Rancho Mission Viejo Company proposal for Planning Area 1 (now Village of Sendero)

Below are some of our observations and takeaways from comparing the two plans:

• What jumps out first is how the current proposal seems to shrink or eliminate many of the common area amenities from the earlier plan.  Instead, the common area space seems to have possibly been consolidated in the large “village green” (marked “Recreation Core”) in the current plan.  We’re going to withhold judgment on this for two reasons.  First, the current graphic clearly does not intend to show the same level of detail, and so perhaps the smaller parks will survive, although it seems clear that the village lake park has been eliminated.  Second, the village does seem to be bordered by green space with a greenbelt running vertically through the large village green.  Perhaps this will evolve into the various themed parks featured on the earlier plan, or something similar?  We loved some of the proposed parks — an adventure park adjacent to the Ladera open space, an observation park with an astronomy garden, and the village lake park with a lake and an amphitheater.  We hope some or all of these will reappear in the more detailed project proposal.
• Despite the differences in detail, you can see the road grid pattern has changed.  The earlier plan seemed to route traffic through the middle of PA1, whereas the current plan seems to direct traffic along the south rim of the development — where the village lake park would have been.  This is indicative that the residential layout has changed dramatically as well, although how so remains to be seen.  What is clear is that Gavilan (the gated senior community) has become larger and more pronounced in the current plan.  In the current plan, Gavilan is a much larger component of the residential footprint (in the prior plan, senior housing was located adjacent to the apartment community).
• Note that the Community Park on the Ladera side of Ortega Highway is listed as just over 12 acres in the earlier plan, but the Register has indicated a size of 15 acres in the current plan.  The earlier version showed a lake, sports fields, restrooms and picnic areas in this location.  Regardless of size, this park (and the sports park opposite Ortega) will serve to welcome visitors to Rancho Mission Viejo.  Let’s hope this important, high visibility park retains an appropriate level of aesthetics, amenities and attractions to set the right tone for the overall Ranch development.
• The retail center and the apartments have not changed much, although the proposed day care center has jumped across Ortega to the retail side.  The fire station and residential development at the Antonio/Cow Camp Road intersection do not appear to have changed substantially, either.  And we are pleased that the current plan retains the northbound trail that likely connects to the Ladera Ranch master trail south of Covenant Hills.
• The current plan does not specify the nature of any development south of Ortega, including development of the so-called “wellness center” or the larger sports park.  As mentioned in a prior post on this site, we believe that the sale of the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park to the City of San Juan Capistrano has eliminated the development plans for the property on and around the equestrian park, all of which is now owned by San Juan Capistrano.

The earlier proposal is exciting.  It contains RMV’s desired number of units, yet offers multiple recreation areas and amenities, ample pocket parks, two lakes and a creative mix of housing types.  It also preserved open space around San Juan Creek, and provides for retail and office development sorely missing from this area of South County.  With the current economic and real estate climate such as it is, it would not be surprising if Rancho Mission Viejo scaled back the size and scope of the development and eliminated some costly community amenities.  We hope they haven’t cut too much, however, and that the spirit of the original proposal will survive.  Sendero is Orange County’s introduction to Rancho Mission Viejo — both as the first development of the Ranch Plan and as the first village visitors will see as they enter Rancho Mission Viejo from either Ortega or Antonio.  As a result, we believe it is in Rancho Mission Viejo Company’s interest to use Sendero to make a statement about the type of community the Rancho Plan will ultimately be.  Sendero will set the tone.

UPDATE (8/17/2012):  Using a more detailed map of Sendero, we’ve updated this “then and now” analysis  here.