Brea : Council Gives OK to Razing of High School

While the Brea-Olinda School District continues to negotiate financing of a new high school, city officials this week gave initial approval to a plan to raze the existing high school to build offices, restaurants and a cinema.

The existing school, which sits on prime property across the street from the Brea Mall and the Civic Center, will eventually make way for construction of nearly 800,000 square feet of office space, six smaller restaurant and retail buildings with 34,000 square feet and an eight-screen, multiplex cinema.

Facing the proposed Brea Place on the 39-acre high school site--on the northwest corner of Birch Street and State College Boulevard--is the Brea Financial Commons, which sits on 18 acres on the northeast corner of Birch and State College. In a second proposal approved Tuesday, a developer will add two office towers to the Brea Financial Commons, which now consists of two buildings and a restaurant.

The council said that it will withhold final approval on the school-site development until the financing for the new school is assured. The school district, which owns the high school land, plans to lease the site and use the money to finance the new high school.