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Aliso Viejo reviews revised Meritage Homes plan, reduced to 72 townhomes
Summary
City planners and Meritage Homes presented a revised concept plan for 72 three-story townhomes at Freedom Lane that would require permits and General Plan and zoning amendments; affordable-unit counts are still under negotiation and staff signaled further review.
Aliso Viejo — At a council meeting, city staff and Meritage Homes presented a revised concept for 72 townhomes on a vacant seven-acre parcel at Freedom Lane, reduced from a prior 124-unit proposal.
Senior planner Rose Rivera said the plan includes 32 duplex buildings and eight detached townhomes, all three stories and about 35 feet tall, with 181 proposed parking spaces (2.5 per unit) where the municipal code requires 100 spaces. Rivera said the prior 124-unit project relied on a state density-bonus due to 5% very-low-income units and therefore had different parking calculations.
Vanessa Bridal of Meritage Homes told the council the product would be a for-sale, three-story townhome development and that the company has built similar projects across Orange County. “We are still working with the city and staff on affordable-unit numbers,” Bridal said; she added that the revised site keeps a large southern slope in its current condition and that maintenance would be coordinated with the homeowners association.
Councilmembers thanked the applicant for reducing density and adding more parking; they pressed on what percentage of units would be affordable and when that detail would be finalized. Staff said the project will require a Site Development Permit, tentative tract map and amendments to the General Plan land-use and zoning designations before returning for formal approvals.
No formal action was taken; the council’s comments and the required entitlements will be part of the ongoing review process.
