July 3, 2003


Whittier City Councilman Bob Henderson chronicled his efforts to prevent development of Whittier Hills at the Friends of Coyote Hills Community Meeting on June 16.

About 50 guests interested in protecting Fullerton's last wilderness area from housing projects planned by a subsidiary of Chevron gathered for the evening presentation, according to Friends spokeswoman Angela Lindstrom.

Henderson, a former mayor who is serving in his sixth term as a Whittier council member, represents the city in several Joint Powers Authorities in which neighboring cities cooperate to manage regional issues ranging from libraries to wildlife and open space.

Lindstrom said Henderson's career began in 1976 with a platform to protect the character and quality of life in his community.

``He has worked diligently and successfully to carry out the will of the people of Whittier in this endeavor,'' Lindstrom said.

One of his first efforts was to prevent development of Whittier Hills. He began with a city referendum that reversed a City Council decision to allow development of the area.

``Throughout the process, they were told that it was a `done deal,' and that the referendum would never pass,'' Lindstrom said.

In 1981, Henderson worked to codify Whittier's zoning laws to prevent development of natural areas including streams, wildlife corridors and ridgelines. An initiative was put on the ballot by the citizens of Whittier and passed with a 75 percent majority.

His successes also included an acquisition of Chevron land. In that case, the proponents of preservation had also been told that the proposed development was a ``done deal'' until a change in the City Council majority.

Chevron, sensing that the passage of a development proposal was unlikely, approached the city to work out an acquisition deal. The 960-acre property was acquired for around $5 million in 1994, Lindstrom said.

In the last several years, acquisitions included 2,762 acres in Whittier Hills and 842 acres in the Puente Hills area, according to Whittier Councilman Allan Zolnekoff. The most recent Rose Hills property was purchased for $14 million in 2002.

Henderson told the audience that through an agreement between Los Angeles County and the City of Whittier, a fee was devised to allow the Puente Hills Landfill to expand while contributing to the area's environmental enhancement.

One dollar was to be paid to the Joint Powers Authority for every ton of refuse dumped at the site. To date, this has generated more than $36 million for environmental protection and land acquisition.

A total of 4,000 acres of land that serves as natural and recreational resources has been purchased with this fund.

Henderson said housing developments do not pay for cities in the long run. For every dollar or property taxes collected, a city typically pays $1.10 to $1.40 in services. The conclusion is drawn from his more than 20 years of experience as a city councilman, and from his review of published studies.

He said a city might benefit financially from its natural resources.

As word got out about Whittier's successful preservation efforts, environmental agencies and developers increasingly approached the city to use its natural reserves to compensate for environmental damage by other development projects.

These projects are often not in Whittier. The city charges $40,000 per acre for this mitigation.

Whittier then benefits from the deleterious effects of development elsewhere.
Memo:coyote hills reportCopyright 2003 The Orange County Register
Record Number: 62745789