ORANGE : Serrano Project Up for Vote Monday

A proposal to build 1,800 homes in East Orange received further scrutiny this week during a final study session before a Planning Commission vote on the Serrano Heights project on Monday.

The Woodcrest Development Co. plan would convert 727 acres of steep slopes and canyons between the cities of Orange and Anaheim into a neighborhood of single-family homes and multiple-unit dwellings.

One issue still to be resolved is whether Woodcrest will build a four-acre park as part of the agreement, said city planner Joan Woolf. Woodcrest may opt to pay the city $1,500 per residential unit to build the park, but it is unclear whether this amount would cover the actual construction costs.

The four-acre recreation area is not the main concern of Mabury Ranch, Orange Park Acres and Anaheim Hills residents who say the project will destroy the bucolic beauty that brought them to the area in the first place.

The plan calls for massive grading of a ridge north of Mabury Ranch and south of Anaheim Hills and would require moving some 12 million cubic yards of earth. Some hills may be cut up to 150 feet and some canyons may be filled up to 170 feet. Three large knolls will be lowered to provide level building pads.

“As a logical person, you don’t tear hills down and start over. You make it fit,” said Richard Hollinger, president of the Mabury Ranch Homeowners Assn. that represents about 2,500 residents. “Would it make any sense to live in Yosemite and take down the trees to build houses?”

While most lots in the area range from 7,000 to 12,000 square feet, Serrano Heights lots begin at 4,500 square feet. Hollinger said that lot size is inconsistent with the neighboring communities.

The plan also includes 476 acres of open space, 246 acres of which are designated as an easement for power lines and 148 acres that will become a part of Santiago Oaks Regional Park.

If the project is approved, construction could begin by the fall of 1992, Woolf said. The development agreement requires completion of Serrano Avenue, a four-lane arterial road that will connect Anaheim and Orange.

The Planning Commission will vote Monday on the Woodcrest Development following a public hearing. However, commissioners Don Scott and Carmine Masters alone will decide whether the project will move forward.

Commissioner Randy Bosch is a Mabury Ranch resident and has abstained from all discussion on the project. Commissioner Don Greek resigned earlier this month to run for City Council, and David Hart resigned in May to help plan Greek’s campaign.