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Board adopts housing‑element rezonings after residents warn La Colonia could be forced to redevelop
Summary
The board approved rezonings intended to satisfy state RHNA requirements, prompting residents from La Colonia Independencia to warn the change could require lot consolidation and pose infrastructure challenges; staff said exclusion risks HCD penalties and the board carried the item with one abstention on record.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved a set of rezonings and development‑standard changes June 25 intended to meet state housing element site‑inventory requirements, despite vocal objections from residents in La Colonia Independencia and other unincorporated neighborhoods.
Residents said upzoning small, established neighborhoods would create parking and water‑service strains and was unlikely to produce the unit counts the county claims. "We live in an area that is very old… the streets are very, very small," said Daniel Nechaca, a La Colonia resident, voicing concerns about parking, water pressure and the prospect that redevelopment would require lot consolidation.
County staff and counsel pushed back that state housing law and HCD guidance limit how the county may show realistic capacity. Nicole Walsh, senior assistant county counsel, said removing targeted acreage from the rezoning could jeopardize the county’s ability to meet RHNA obligations and invite penalties or the builder’s remedy. Staff estimated the La Colonia parcel represents roughly 10 acres and could be counted for about 300 housing units under the state’s minimum‑density assumptions, though redevelopment would require lot consolidation and environmental review.
Supervisor Chaffee said the rezoning was a reluctant but necessary step to secure state approval and to prevent a more disruptive outcome. "We are not approving any changes to your neighborhood today; zoning allows future applications, which would still require discrete approvals," staff told the board.
The motion to approve staff recommendations carried, with one abstention noted for the relevant items. Supervisors asked staff to continue outreach to affected residents and to provide additional detail on unit calculations and infrastructure implications.
Any future projects would be subject to environmental review, lot‑consolidation requirements and will‑serve letters; the rezoning itself does not automatically convert single‑family property into multi‑unit development without subsequent approvals.
