As a long-standing resident of Orange County, I am deeply concerned about the proposed 181-unit Saddleback Meadows subdivision to be located in unincorporated Trabuco Canyon at the north end of El Toro Road between Cook’s Corner and Hidden Ridge, directly across from the Portola Hills residential area. This project risks damaging Trabuco Canyon’s cherished rural character and jeopardizing the safety and well-being of our community.

The project will be constructed within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and will place a severe load on our already congested access roads, very likely hindering critical emergency ingress and egress and endangering all neighboring communities in case of the need for evacuation. The increasing regularity and intensity of wildfires in California makes this a real threat and has created a homeowner insurance crisis. Further urban sprawl into high-risk zones like this is simply reckless. 

Despite over two decades in planning, this project just recently surfaced as a “done deal” with only minor details of the project – building heights and setbacks – brought forward to the local review board, which was as astonished by the proposal as residents from the surrounding community. To date the Orange County Planning Commission has yet to provide a public hearing on the proposed development.

While an environmental impact report was approved in 2002, it is now grossly outdated. The report did not consider the impact of traffic increases from all the new development nearby, including Saddle Crest, Skyridge, Portola Center and Saddleback Place. This has added over 1,100+ new homes to the immediate community since the EIR was written. The burden on our already crowded schools, the lack of infrastructure for this sprawl project, and the impact on crucial wildlife movement between regional parks have not been analyzed, let alone mitigated.

This mass-graded urban-style project contravenes the Foothill Trabuco Specific Plan, which aims to preserve the region's rural character and scenic landforms. It is vital that we protect Orange County from inappropriate and harmful development like this.

We demand that the County of Orange planning department provide regular updates and a comprehensive public hearing on the Saddleback Meadows development. We, the people affected by these decisions, have the right to be heard and to stay informed.

As a long-standing resident of Orange County, I am deeply concerned about the proposed 181-unit Saddleback Meadows subdivision to be located in unincorporated Trabuco Canyon at the north end of El Toro Road between Cook’s Corner and Hidden Ridge, directly across from the Portola Hills residential area. This project risks damaging Trabuco Canyon’s cherished rural character and jeopardizing the safety and well-being of our community.

The project will be constructed within a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and will place a severe load on our already congested access roads, very likely hindering critical emergency ingress and egress and endangering all neighboring communities in case of the need for evacuation. The increasing regularity and intensity of wildfires in California makes this a real threat and has created a homeowner insurance crisis. Further urban sprawl into high-risk zones like this is simply reckless. 

Despite over two decades in planning, this project just recently surfaced as a “done deal” with only minor details of the project – building heights and setbacks – brought forward to the local review board, which was as astonished by the proposal as residents from the surrounding community. To date the Orange County Planning Commission has yet to provide a public hearing on the proposed development.

While an environmental impact report was approved in 2002, it is now grossly outdated. The report did not consider the impact of traffic increases from all the new development nearby, including Saddle Crest, Skyridge, Portola Center and Saddleback Place. This has added over 1,100+ new homes to the immediate community since the EIR was written. The burden on our already crowded schools, the lack of infrastructure for this sprawl project, and the impact on crucial wildlife movement between regional parks have not been analyzed, let alone mitigated.

This mass-graded urban-style project contravenes the Foothill Trabuco Specific Plan, which aims to preserve the region's rural character and scenic landforms. It is vital that we protect Orange County from inappropriate and harmful development like this.

We demand that the County of Orange planning department provide regular updates and a comprehensive public hearing on the Saddleback Meadows development. We, the people affected by these decisions, have the right to be heard and to stay informed.

Donations to support our efforts may be made via Paypal by clicking here.   Your donation will go to Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks (www.fhbp.org a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which fiscally sponsors the Saddleback Canyons Conservancy.  Or mail a check to PO Box 9256, Newport Beach, CA 92658-9256 (note Saddleback Canyons Conservancy in the memo line).   Thank you!

 Please note: The Change.org petition has a separate donate button, but donations to Change.org do NOT go to our cause!  We greatly appreciate Change.org for hosting our petition and making this online campaign possible.