Local News in Brief : Cypress : Housing Plan at Former Oil Facility Site Gains

The City Council approved an environmental impact report Monday for a controversial housing development to be built on the site of a former oil storage facility, where soil was recently found to be contaminated with toxic wastes.

The property was used by Texaco as a storage facility for crude and fuel oil for nearly 60 years before it was bought last year by Cypress Homes Inc., which plans to build an 885-home residential tract on 144 acres.

The development plans call for 651 single-family homes and 234 attached townhouses and would include a six-acre community park. However, the environmental impact report did not include--nor did the council vote on--specific building plans, city officials stressed. Those plans are scheduled for a hearing before the council in February, officials said.

Many residents have voiced concerns about the housing project’s density and its impact on traffic, schools and city services.

Scientific field studies have found low levels of benzene, a suspected carcinogen, in soil and ground water under the facility.

Texaco has submitted preliminary plans to remove nearly 40,000 cubic tons of contaminated soil and to pump out contaminated ground water, but had to await the council’s approval of the environmental report before excavation could begin.