The Habit Burger Grill Coming to Aliso Viejo

The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) approached Aliso Viejo with an offer to join, for a price of $12,000 during Wednesday night's City Council meeting.

"I was offended by the potential SCAGS fee," said Council member Phillip Tsunoda. "That's the first time they [SCAG] have ever charged a fee to a city."

SCAG is an organization that represents six counties in Southern California. If the city were to join SCAG, which means paying the $12,000, it would have to pay an additional $4,181 in annual fees and give the organization the responsibility of development for Aliso Viejo. SCAG would be responsible for a short-term Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) every four years, a short-term Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) and a portion of the Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP.)

The council decided to put the issue on hold to further deliberate whether SCAG will benefit the city. Aliso Viejo is already proactive with housing development and becoming a member of the organization would not benefit the city, according to the council.

Next on the agenda was the approval of the Habit Burger Grill, which will be located in Town Center.

"We are excited to come to Aliso Viejo," said Russell Friend, the Habit Burger Grill chief development officer. "We've scouted for a great location, and we found it in the center of this city."

Serving burgers and fries, salads and sandwiches, the restaurant estimates approximately 500 customers will visit the Aliso Viejo location every day.

The council also approved a measure that would improve some of the city's roads. The contract was awarded to American Asphalt South Inc. for $579,481.