Poll: Should Los Al Annex Rossmoor Shopping Village? RHA Doesn’t’ Think So

To whom it may concern: Rossmoor doesn’t want Los Alamitos to annex its only shopping center.

The Rossmoor Homeowners Association Board of Directors recently added its voice to the collection of Rossmoorians opposed to Los Alamitos' efforts to annex the Rossmoor Village Square.

The board recently passed a resolution, stating, “the action of the City of Los Alamitos will permanently damage the interests of the community of Rossmoor,” and “the Board of Directors of the Rossmoor Homeowners Association is unequivocally opposed to the action of the City of Los Alamitos and requests that all such action cease.”

Earlier this month, both the Rossmoor Community Services District and the Rossmoor Advisory Committee came out in formal opposition to the city’s annexation efforts. In a poll commissioned by the district last Spring, 82 percent or Rossmoor voters surveyed opposed letting Los Alamitos take Rossmoor’s commercial center at the corner of Los Alamitos Boulevard and Katella Avenue.

However the unrequited attraction hasn’t deterred Los Alamitos officials, who have said they intend to annex the commercial corner at Los Alamitos Boulevard and Katella Avenue to incorporate it into the city’s vision for a revitalized commercial corridor. City leaders hope to schedule a town hall meeting seeking community input on the matter.

There are seven people and entities that own land within the commercial center, apartment and church properties. If the City Council votes to annex the land, the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission could approve the annexation without a vote of the residents or property owners. It would only go to a vote if 25 to 50 percent of the property owners or registered voters formally protest the annexation, said Stewart.

The Los Alamitos Planning Commission recently voted 4-2 in favor of a zoning map for the southwest corner of Los Alamitos Boulevard and Katella Avenue. Though not technically part of an annexation, the vote paves the way for Los Alamitos to take control of the corner, which includes The Original Fish Company, a car wash, Boot Barn, a church and an apartment complex.