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Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -- Margaret Mead
Council shoots down Coyote Hills development
BY ADAM TOWNSEND
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
FULLERTON - The City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday night to deny a massive, controversial development proposal by Chevron-owned Pacific Coast Homes.
Councilman Richard Jones and Mayor Don Bankhead voted in favor of the developer while council members Pam Keller, Shawn Nelson and Sharon Quirk-Silva voted to deny the proposal.
"We're disappointed in the decision," said Pacific Coast Homes Project Manager Jim Pugliese. "We will be determining what our options are, and when we know what our options are, we'll be letting folks know."
Quirk-Silva and Keller said they were opposed to the development because they wanted to explore more options to make it into park land. Nelson said he was in favor of Chevron's right to develop, but didn't like the specifics of the development agreement.
Some 250 opponents and proponents of the 760-home West Coyote Hills development spoke out at the meeting.
The opponents were largely from the group Friends of Coyote Hills, which wants to find a way to purchase the 510-acre property as park land. Environmental concerns are tantamount to this group. Other opposition included nearby property owners more concerned with the direct impacts of construction to their property.
The proponents of the project included representatives of business groups such as the Fullerton Chamber of Commerce and the Orange County Business Council and a few private property rights advocates.
The majority of supporters, however, were residents who said they were satisfied with the developer's compromises that would allow access to a 72-acre Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve and 10 miles of trails.
In short, the lawyers and Friends of Coyote Hills have found that the West Coyote Hills DEIR has NOT met CEQA standards, is biased towards the developer, and considering the magnitude of the project and its impact on the whole community, is a substandard document that needs to be redone.
