OC Blog: Diane Harkey On Completing The 241

This is from Diane Harkey's "OC Lite" newsletter that just came over the transom:

Tolling the Truth about Our Quality of Life

Good News! The October 11th California Coastal Commission Hearing regarding the SR 241 Tollroad completion has been postponed. So a delay is good news? Yes, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on this issue.

If you’ve been tuned in, you know that there has been an increasingly active movement by State Parks, Surfriders and others to halt the final 16 miles of the tollroad. Opponents site State Park and surf/beach annihilation as their call to arms. Most proponents and local residents merely assume things will work out, as they did with the SR 73, and the road will be built. After all, as in the SR 73 battle, opponents have time and emotion on their side, and proponents face delays that cost money and future political uncertainties – nothing new.

So what makes the 241 different? First, unlike the fight over the 73, where The Irvine Company played an active role due to the impact on its landholdings, there is no strong advocate leading the charge for the completion of the 241. The Ranch, which you would expect to be a strong proponent due to their new development approvals east of San Juan Capistrano, is in legal wrangling with the Tollroad Agency. In addition, unlike the 73, a segment of the proposed route does enter the coastal zone, making Coastal Commission approval necessary for completion (Coastal staff recommended “deny” for the October hearing).

As a result, with an active opposition and no strong advocate, local electeds (your neighbors) who sit on the transportation agencies and committees are on their own, forced to respond to their constituents needs for mobility, preserve the environment and plan for future development impacts with scarce dollars, while trying to keep increasing traffic from destroying local streets and neighborhoods. We in South OC (and large portions of San Diego County as well), with our hilly terrain, have few streets that we can expand upon for N/S and E/W options. And all opportunities for providing alternatives to car travel are being reviewed and exercised in an attempt to meet present and anticipated growth needs for the next 20-30 years.

Most council members in San Juan Capistrano, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Dana Point and Laguna Niguel understand all too well what the loss of SR 241 would mean – more traffic coming through adjacent towns to access the only N/S route, the I-5, and unsustainable gridlock. Future widening of the I-5 is the opponents' primary alternative to completing the Tollroad. Imagine the businesses and neighborhoods that would be turned upside down with that option!

So why could the hearing delay be good for both sides? On September 28th the Board of Directors for the Foothill/Eastern TCA (your local elected officials who sit on the Board with jurisdiction over the 241 completion) offered $100 million to the State of California and State Parks to allow for improvements to San Onofre and Crystal Cove State Parks, and to fund the extension of the lease for San Onofre and Trestles that expires in 14 years. The land lease from the Federal Government, which was previously $1 for 50 years, upon extension would increase to market lease rates (estimated at $70M) due to federal prohibitions on gifts of public funds. Considering State Parks annual budget is $400 million for the entire State, $100 million to further enhance our local state parks and ensure continuing beach access is not to be ignored – especially for those of us who like camping at San Mateo and surfing at San Onofre and Trestles!

Hopefully, the delay will lead to successful negotiations creating a win-win situation where we preserve our environment, beaches and quality of life, while improving commuter access. Will this mean everyone will hold hands and sing kumbya? No, probably not, coalition building means everyone gets something, but no one is happy. However, maybe with some well-placed dollars we can call a truce.