Published: July 13, 2011 Updated: 8:10 a.m.

Fullerton council approves 760-home development

Three decades in the planning, the project had fierce opposition.

By LOU PONSI / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

FULLERTON – The City Council approved the 760-home West Coyote Hills development late Tuesday night that it rejected last year.

Chevron-owned Pacific Coast Homes got the nod to build townhomes and single-family houses along with 68,000 square feet of retail space on the 510 acres of rolling green foothills it owns in northwest Fullerton. Under the plan, 283 acres will remain open space and recreational areas, including the 72-acre Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve.

The Fullerton City Council on Tuesday voted 4-1 in favor of the 760-home West Coyote Hills project, which will be built on 510 acres in the northwest part of the city.

The council voted 4-1 in favor of the project after hearing more than 50 comments from the public, pro and con, over five hours.

Nearly 200 people packed the Council Chamber, while dozens more watched on video screens in the City Hall lobby and adjacent library.

"We are obviously very pleased," said Jim Pugliese, West Coyote Hills project manager. "The project will provide economic and recreational benefits to Fullerton."

Pugliese said the project will bring in 1,800 short- and long-term jobs. Chevron is donating $5 million to the city to provide for trails and maintenance of the city-owned preserve.

"I think it is a very well-thought-out, very comprehensive plan," said Councilman Pat McKinley.

Those who spoke against the project, many from a group called Friends of Coyote Hills, wanted the property preserved for a park and nature preserve.

In a statement released after the vote, the citizens' group said it plans to gather signatures to have a ballot measure put in front of voters that would reverse the decision.

"A 510-acre park is what the overwhelming community wants, so we're going to give them the chance to say 'no' to Chevron by putting this on a ballot for a public vote," the statement said.

Sharon Quirk-Silva, one of three council members to vote against the project last year, turned in the lone no vote Tuesday. The other two council members who originally voted against the project are no longer on the panel.

The councilwoman wanted more open space donated to Fullerton, along with an agreement in which some of the homes could be developed in another part of town.

"I think it is pristine land," she said.

In March 2010, the Planning Commission recommended approval of the project. The City Council then voted 3-2 against the development. In August, Pacific Coast Homes sued the city.

Filed in Orange County Superior Court, the suit said the developer had been working on the project for three decades and was denied without "evidentiary support." Under a settlement agreement, the City Council was to consider the same proposal that was at first denied. If the project had been rejected again, the suit could have revived.

"I don't like the idea of the lawsuit being used to make the decision," said Fullerton resident Sunbie Harrell, a member of Friends of Coyote Hills. "There were great people on both sides of the issue. ... I would have liked to see us work to bring the groups together."

The council also approved a zoning amendment, re-zoning the property from oil and gas extracting to a specific-plan district.

The project will be built in three phases, Pugliese said, but the timeline depends on the market.

Two miles of trails could be open with a few months, he said.

The entire project area is currently fenced in.

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