Laguna Niguel Council approves plan to allow 53 housing units

The Laguna Niguel City Council has approved a general plan amendment which will allow a developer to build 53 housing units on vacant land above the Mercedes-Benz dealership, next to the Country View Estates.

City Manager Kristine Ridge says the general plan had allowed 35 housing units and the developer originally wanted to build 70 units.

She says residents were unhappy with the project, so the developer then dropped the number of units to 61. And then a nearby homeowners association had appealed that number. And before the Council could vote on the appeal, the developer changed the number of housing units to 53.

Ridge says the Council agreed to change the general plan to allow the 53 units.

She says the project will need to go through the Planning Commission process before construction may begin.

She says the developer will allow an easement on the private property to enable the city to complete a missing link in its trail system.