Plan to Enlarge, Improve Chino Hills State Park Is OKd

The state Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously Friday to approve a plan for the acquisition of about 3,000 acres of open space plus the development of facilities at Chino Hills State Park.

The commission, meeting at the Brea Civic Center, voted 8 to 0 to approve the Chino Hills State Park General Plan, which contains plans to increase the park’s total land area to 13,500 acres, establish toilets, campsites, picnic grounds and equestrian facilities in the area and improve trails throughout the park.

Realization of the plan, however, could be several years away. Funds for the acquisition of open space and expansion of park facilities must be included in the state’s annual budget before the project is completed.

The sprawling site--near the convergence of Orange, San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Riverside counties--is California’s largest urban park. It was opened three years ago so the area’s rural atmosphere and wildlife could be preserved in the face of rapidly encroaching development, officials said.

In Bustling Area

According to the plan, approximately 9 million people live within 40 miles of the park. The site is in the midst of some of the fastest-growing communities in the four-county area and near some of its most highly developed lands.

Officials project that the total number of people in the immediate area is expected to increase by 2 million by the end of the century.

The park now has few amenities and few visitors. A volunteer group known as Hills for Everyone--a coalition of environmentalists, area homeowners and outdoors enthusiasts--was given authority by the state to operate the park after it opened. The group has contributed most of the improvements and facilities now in the area.

Claire Schlotterbeck, chairman of Hills for Everyone, said the state will try to buy the new open space as soon as possible and then work on developing the park. She predicted that landowners in areas targeted for potential state acquisition will profit from the transactions.

“Landowners like to sell to the state because they (state agencies) pay cash,” she explained. Schlotterbeck added that the state would need about $15 million to complete the acquisition of lands for the park.

She said the state’s decision was a good one for the park and for adjacent landowners.

“The intent of the plan was to balance preservation with recreation. Our group feels that they came up with a really balanced plan that way,” she said.

Ken McKowen, a spokesman for the state Department of Parks and Recreation, said development of the park may begin late in 1988 if the agency gets sufficient funds from the state.