College’s Rebuilding Plan Gains : San Dimas: County planners give a tentative OK to Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College to downsize its campus and sell surplus acreage<i> .</i>

The Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission has given preliminary approval to a Christian college’s plan to rebuild its San Dimas campus and sell much of its land to a developer for construction of 114 homes.

The commission voted 3 to 0 Thursday to recommend that the County Board of Supervisors approve the joint venture by Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College and Century American Corp., an Orange County-based home builder.

The college and the developer must work out a few technical details before the commission will pass on its recommendation to the supervisors, who have the final say on the project. The supervisors are expected to get the proposal within two months.

Many San Dimas homeowners have opposed the project, saying it would destroy verdant, oak-studded Walnut Creek canyon, a rugged refuge for mountain lions and a variety of other wildlife.

The county has discretion over the project because the 150-acre campus is part of an island of unincorporated territory surrounded by the city of San Dimas.

The Bible college plans to demolish all its buildings and rebuild in a more compact fashion. It will dedicate nearly 80 acres of open space to add to an existing wilderness area and sell 53 acres to Century American for construction of luxury homes.

Thursday’s session was the third time the Planning Commission has considered the proposal.

The college and developer kept their plans essentially intact, although they promised at an earlier hearing to use a revised grading plan that will save 75 oak trees.

Commissioners also got the college to grant an additional 9 1/2 acres to the public for open space, beyond the 70 acres the college originally promised.