The Capistrano Insider

So How Cold Was It In San Juan Capistrano Last Night?

I had to climb onto the roof of my house this morning to trim some tree limbs - the gutters had a layer of ice at 10 a.m.!

I live west of the freeway off Camino Cap...
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241 Open Again -- Part of It, Anyhow

From TCA:

At 3 p.m. today the southbound lanes of the 241 Toll Road between the 261 Toll Road and the 133 Toll Road opened to traffic.  The northbound lanes in this five-mile stretch remain closed.  The impact of the rain predicted to start early Wednesday morning, Dec. 29, will have to be assessed before a schedule for opening the northbound lanes can be determined.

 The closure is due to mudslides that occurred during heavy rains on Wednesday, Dec. 22, at the Loma Ridge section of the 241 Toll Road, just south of the 261 Toll Road.  

All on- and off-ramps on the 133 Toll Road at Irvine Blvd. East are now open, allowing travelers in Irvine to access the northbound 133 to connect with the 241 Toll Road heading toward Foothill Ranch, Lake Forest and Rancho Santa Margarita.  The 133 Toll Road is open in both directions between I-5 and the 241 Toll Road. 

The Transportation Corridor Agencies (operator of The Toll Roads) and Caltrans (owner of The Toll Roads) continue to lower the slope adjacent to the roadway, dry out saturated soil and perform other necessary road work. 

 Northbound access to the 91 freeway:

• To the 91 freeway: The 261 Toll Road remains open in both directions.  Take the 261 northbound to the 241 northbound to the 91 freeway.

Sure Is Nice ...

To see construction underway at the closed Camino Capistrano auto dealerships.

Orange Coast Chrysler Jeep Dodge is coming in to the spot next to the CHP offices, and Tuttle-Click Ford and Mercury is moving into the old Jeep and Nissan spots.

Work is well in progress at the future Chrysler spot, while trucks and rollaways are assembling on the future Tuttle-Click dealerships. Those two former dealerships are being torn down and combined into one, with the southern 2 acres being sold to Toyota to allow more on-lot cars.

Remember, at one point, auto dealers accounted for 40 percent of Capistrano's sales-tax income.

The Power of Capistrano's Mayor ...

And here I thought the position was largely ceremonial ...

This from the city's PR consultant:

The City is seeking local church, school, service, youth and other organizations and individuals interested in the opportunity to sing patriotic songs before the beginning of City Council meetings in 2011.

The idea, which is the brainchild of Mayor Sam Allevato, would give choir groups and individuals a chance to showcase their talent, get exposure to City government, and the experience could instill more civic pride and involvement in the community.

The City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto. Individuals and groups interested in singing at City Council meetings starting in January should contact Cathy Salcedo in the City Manager's office at 949-443-6317 or [email protected].

 

Economist: Incentives by Cities are 'Essential'

There's been a lot of debate in San Juan Capistrano about the $5 million deal for Tuttle-Click to come to town, and other redevelopment deals to generate some business activity.

In an Orange County Register story, Esmael Adibi, the Chief Economist at Chapman University, said cities need to provide incentives to kick-start their economies.

The Register also cites one of its own stories about Orange Coast Chrysler coming to San Juan, in which the dealer said the incentives weren't important to him -- but remember, he's moving into an exising building (the former Honda shop next to the CHP on Camino Capistrano) and didn't even require City Council approval, so that dealer's costs aren't comparable to Tuttle-Click.

Tuttle-Click is moving the Ford dealership to the closed Chrysler and Nissan plots on Camino Capistrano, where they must tear down existing buildings and dealerships and build new ones. That's a substantial-upfront cost.

Is $5 million too much? Maybe. The break-even period is about 12 years in the 27-year deal with Tuttle-Click.

Compare that, though, to Buena Park, which -- according to the Register story -- is offering to give a developer an acre of land and return $50 million in sales tax for an office and retail project.

Esmael Adibi, chief economist at Chapman University, suggested it's the only way to go. "A city, in the current economic climate, must look into developer incentives in order to create jobs and a tax base," he said.

"In this recession, it is challenging for cities to give (very) much," Adibi added. "However, if cities do not create incentives, down the road, there will not be a strong tax base. If they do not assist developers, projects will not get off the ground, and cities will struggle in the long run."