When it comes to finding a vision for the core area of Mission Viejo, many residents seem to gravitate toward the idea of incorporating Oso Creek with a shopping and dining area.
Other popular ideas include pedestrian bridges and less car traffic, village greens and fashioning some sort of destination spot.
“We’d like to see an area where we’re happy to spend the entire evening,” five-year resident Bob Gardner said Thursday at the city’s second Vision Plan community workshop. “Something that’s trendy, where we could have a nice dinner and spend our money here.”
About 75 residents attended the workshop at the Civic Center, which included a presentation by consultant SWA Group on statistics gathered from previous outreach efforts, including the first Vision Plan workshop on June 30.
Residents were shown five examples of other core-area projects, including The Orchard in Lake Forest, Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, Walnut Creek, Estes Park, Colo. and Mashpee Commons in Massachusetts. Then they were asked to place stickers on specific aspects they found appealing from each location.
Most residents showed interest in the creekside dining concept of Estes Park. One photo displayed outside seating within feet of the water and a surrounding green landscape.
Residents also got to play architect, albeit at a lower scale.
Blueprint maps of the core area were laid out on 12 tables and residents had the opportunity to place colored blocks over the maps to create their own core area. Blocks, which came in eight different colors, represented different types of structures, including retail, housing, office space, parking structures and parks.
Lan Sue, a four-year resident, said her group had different ideas, which required two different sets of block plans.
“Even though the ideas were different, there was a lot of commonality,” Sue said.
Most groups showed office space on top of retail and a minority included housing on top of the retail buildings. Most groups included parks interspersed with retail shops and many lined retail shops along Oso Creek.
Nearly every table mentioned pedestrian bridges connecting the Civic Center and Library to parks and retail shops across Marguerite Parkway.
“It was really nice to have that input,” Kim Gardner, Bob Gardner’s wife, said of the workshop. “It was good to hear why people want to do different things in the area.”
Some asked whether the owners in existing shops in the core area were aware of what the city was doing. Councilman Greg Raths and City Manager Dennis Wilberg told them they had met with all owners and will continue to dialogue with them.
“Some are more enthusiastic about it than others,” Wilberg said.
SWA Group has also conducted a citywide phone survey, where officials said they garnered nearly 800 responses, pop-up outreach opportunities at community events and a kids’ visioning workshop.
Statistical information from SWA Group’s previous outreach efforts will be presented at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The third Vision Plan workshop is scheduled for November, but a specific date has not been announced.
Contact the writer: npercy@scng.com
