ORANGE : Hearing Tonight on 37-Acre Project

The City Council will hold a public hearing tonight on a proposal to build a major residential and commercial development along Santiago Creek.

The site, between Tustin and Cambridge streets, includes 22 abandoned homes, some vacant land owned by the county and city and the Santiago Golf Course property. The golf course was closed in July after Burnett Ehline Development Co. of Anaheim purchased it.

The company wants to build 160 houses and two commercial centers on 37 acres but has encountered opposition from residents who prefer open space along the creek. Opponents say the development would bring more traffic to their neighborhoods.

The council must amend the general plan to allow a mixed-use residential and industrial project on the property before it can approve the development.

In December, the Planning Commission recommended that the council deny the project. An environmental evaluation of the project concluded that the development would result in “significant environmental impacts.”

Other projects proposed for the site have been rejected by the council. In 1984 the council denied a plan to build 188 condominiums and 26 houses on the property, and in 1985 it denied a plan to build 146 condominiums there.

Since its initial plan, Burnett Ehline has revised its proposal several times. Originally, the project called for a senior housing complex with a commercial development on Tustin Street. Then the company proposed an apartment building with 477 units. Most recently, the company has reduced the number of proposed homes from 180 to 160 and increased the minimum lot size from 4,000 square feet to 4,500 square feet.

The public hearing will be at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.