City Kills Redevelopment Plan That Outraged Many : Government: The Dana Point council scraps a proposal for 11% of city land and disbands the committee that was to have guided implementation.

DANA POINT —  Bowing to its outraged and divided constituents, the City Council voted Tuesday to kill a controversial redevelopment plan.

The council, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, voted 3 to 2 to scrap the preliminary redevelopment plan and disband the citizens advisory committee that was to have guided the redevelopment.

However, the council did not rule out reopening the redevelopment issue at a later date.

“I don’t want this interpreted as a position for or against redevelopment,” Mayor Bill Bamattre said. “In effect, we are ending the redevelopment process, but we will retain the documents” for possible future reconsideration.

The 35-year, $292-million redevelopment plan would have applied to 11% of the land in the 6-square-mile city. Though it was a draft plan intended for study, some residents said the council was contemplating reshaping the city without sufficient public discussion.

City Council members said they feared that much “misinformation” had been disseminated about the plan, causing some residents to fear they would be driven from their homes.

“The misinformation in the community on this issue is what concerns me most,” said City Councilwoman Judy Curreri. “I had hoped redevelopment would be a tool for the many challenging problems we face. . . .

“We jumped ahead of you,” Curreri said. “I prefer we pull the documents, and let the community study redevelopment.”

At least six people rose from an audience of about 100 people to plead with the council to scuttle the plan.

“The City Council has gone ahead with this this way too fast,” said Jim Hayton, a Dana Point resident and businessman. “This is a new City Council and I consider it very well-meaning but it’s made up of non-business people in the redevelopment areas. You can’t understand our feelings unless you are impacted.”

After an hourlong discussion, Curreri, Bamattre and council member Mike Eggers voted to kill the plan. Council members Karen Lloreda and Eileen Krause cast the dissenting votes, arguing that it should be tabled rather than scrapped.

Last week, the 134-member citizens advisory committee voted to recommend that the council halt redevelopment plans.

On Monday, Lloreda and others said they were considering temporarily shelving the plan because of the widespread anxiety it had spread in the 2-year-old city.

“You don’t think this kind of thing can happen in our small town, but I’ve had calls from people who have been threatened if they speak out for redevelopment,” she said.

Several people in the audience Tuesday said the council should not be swayed by such threats.