Brea : Public Hearing Scheduled on Carbon Canyon Land Use

Proposals that would affect commuters from three different counties and increase the number of homes in Carbon Canyon from less than 300 to as many as 5,356 will be considered at a public hearing Tuesday.

When the Brea Planning Commission meets to hold its third and last public hearing on the proposals, they will consider transportation, what type of housing and how many units should be built in the 1,800 acres of the canyon.

Because Carbon Canyon lies along the junction of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, any development in the area would affect commuters who use freeways 71 and 57.

A proposal by a citizens advisory committee that up to 5,356 units be built would significantly increase Brea’s population, which now is about 30,000. Another proposal, prepared by Phillips Brandt Reddick, independent land planners in Irvine, recommends a total of 3,608 units.

“It’s not a question of whether it’s going to be developed. It has to be developed,” Brea Mayor Clarice Blamer said of the canyon. “It’s a question of how it should be developed for the best use of the land and to preserve the terrain.”

The public meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. in the Brea Civic Cultural Center.