Ugly? Maybe—but Equestrian Project Gets OK

San Juan Capistrano resident Michael Hajeck says he's “embracing” his two young daughters’ love for horses.

He has purchased undeveloped land on the south side of Ortega Highway, off of Avenida La Mancha and Via Mambrino. There he envisions building his girls, ages 6 and 8, a riding arena, a barn and a home. But it requires a series of 10-foot-high terraced retaining wall built into a hillside—a potential eyesore for his neighbors.

The Hidden Mountain Estates Homeowners Association has embraced the plan, and so has the Planning Commission, despite the city planning staff's fear that the wall might be ugly. The commission voted 6-1 Tuesday night to allow Hajeck to truck in 3,950 cubic yards of soil into the private, gated community.  

Before casting his yes vote, Commissioner Tim Neely warned of the difficulties Hajeck will face in constructing the retaining walls, such as 23 percent grade to the arena and a 10 percent downgrade from the storage area. Nevertheless, he was in favor of the project.

 “I think we’ve approved projects like before this in open space; it’s nudged into the hillside; the impacts of the terrace walls can at least be partially mitigated by landscape and the fact that the HOA has approved it and is apparently aware of the truck impact and the design … I would line up on the favorable side,” he said.

The only commissioner to express serious concerns was Robert Williams. He called the project "very aggressive" and suggested Hajeck scale down the size of the retaining walls by working more closely with the topography.

"You're talking about 40 trucks that will come into this neighborhood with soil," he said. "I would not be in favor of this project at all."