Brea : Planning Officials OK Carbon Canyon Proposal

The much-discussed future of Carbon Canyon is in the hands of the City Council, now that the city’s Planning Commission has approved a development plan for the area.

Under the plan, Carbon Canyon could contain as many as 4,371 homes (there are about 300 now). The proposal received commission approval Tuesday by a 3-2 vote, with members David Behoteguy and Suseela Neti dissenting.

Commissioner Carl Clausen agreed that the area’s density would increase significantly but said that canyon terrain and zoning restrictions would limit the size and height of buildings, therefore eliminating concerns about overdevelopment.

“You’re not going to have the whole mass of hills covered like an ant colony,” Clausen said in an interview Wednesday.

Clausen, who was absent at the last meeting--when commissioners deadlocked 2 to 2 on the project--cast the decisive vote Tuesday.

Commissioners amended the proposal for the 1,800-acre site to require an annual review and to shift major costs--such as those for roads, sewage and flood control --to developers.

Council members will probably discuss the plan at their July 2 meeting, according to William Kelly, director of the city’s Development Services Department.