College District May Put 190-Acre Parcel Up for Sale or Lease

Like a treasure offered for bids, 190 acres of undeveloped land in Yorba Linda may be offered for sale or lease by the owner, the North Orange County Community College District.

The parcel, off Fairmont Road north of Yorba Linda Boulevard, originally was intended as the site for a third community college. Those plans were dropped in the 1970s when population growth was less than expected in north Orange County.

The 190 acres have since been vacant except for four district-owned buildings that house an adult education center and community theater.

Last week, the trustees of the district, which owns and operates Cypress and Fullerton colleges, voted to spend $2,500 for a professional study of how the land might be used commercially. The report is expected by early April.

Appraised in Millions

Joseph Newmyer, the district’s vice chancellor for finance and facilities, said the land recently was appraised in the millions of dollars, but he declined to release the figure. “Developers have expressed interest in the land,” Newmyer said. “Like every other college district, we are hurting for money. One proposal is to sell about 45 acres of the rough-terrain land and let that be used for residential development. Then the remaining land would be used for something like a golf course.”

Newmyer said that if the 145 acres were used for a golf course, that land would be leased. He stressed, however, that the matter is only in the talking stage. The seven trustees of the college district have not voted to sell or lease any of the acreage, and no decision will be made until the consultant’s study is received.

One trustee, Otto Lacayo of Cypress, said Wednesday that he will oppose any move to sell or lease the land.

“It’s all right to have a study made, but I think the property should be land-banked,” Lacayo said. “It doesn’t cost us a cent to keep holding the land. It’s land owned by the taxpayers, and I think that one day it’ll be needed for education uses--if not for a community college, maybe by a high school.”

‘A Nice Apple to Pick’

Lacayo added: “I can understand why developers would want to get hold of the land. It would be a nice apple to pick off the tree.”

Newmyer said that two years ago, the college district explored a proposal to sell some land and lease the remainder in partnership with a commercial owner of 275 adjoining vacant acres.

“We ran into some opposition from residents on that,” Newmyer said. “I think the opposition came because that proposal would have resulted in 275 residences being built, and people didn’t like that kind of density.” The current development proposal would allow 135 residences on 45 acres, he said.

Newmyer said that about seven years ago the college district secured residential zoning for the 45 acres, and zoning for the rest of the land that would contain a golf course but no homes. The Yorba Linda City Council still would have to approve any final plans.

Yorba Linda Mayor Irwin Fried said Wednesday that he foresees no problem because the homes and golf course would fit the city’s land planning. “As long as they develop the property within the constraints of the general plan of Yorba Linda, I have no problem with it,” Fried said.

Fried added, however, that the city would want the district to keep the Adult Education Center and Forum Theater, now on about 15 acres of the site off Fairmont Road.

Retreats and Seminars

The four buildings composing the Adult Education Center, opened in 1982, are used for some community college and adult courses, for theater events by guest artists and students from Fullerton and Cypress colleges, and for aptitude and placement testing.

Lacayo said the district plans to keep those buildings, regardless of what the consultant recommends. The rest of the land, he said, also should be used for education.

“One use that comes to mind is for all four college districts to jointly build a place for retreats and seminars on the land,” Lacayo said. “The four districts together might be able to do something like that. I think the land should be used for education.”