BREA : Panel of 120 Will Help Shape Canyon

A community planning project designed to get citizens involved in the development of Tonner Canyon gets under way today at City Hall.

About 120 participants, including City Council members, local leaders, developers and residents, will gather for the first in a series of meetings to come up with ideas on how, where and when to develop the area.

About 7 square miles of unincorporated canyon lie within the city’s sphere of influence and will be studied by the group. A few landowners in the area have expressed interest in developing their parcels, which ultimately could result in Brea nearly doubling in land area in the next five to 10 years.

“We are asking people, ‘How would you design it?’ ” Director of Development Services Jim Cutts said.

Although currently unincorporated, the land north of the city is expected to be annexed by Brea once construction on new development starts.

“It is really an exciting opportunity,” said Mayor Wayne Wedin of the planning project. “In our experience, every time we have extensive citizen involvement, it proves to be very positive.”

This weekend, the group will study massive doses of information on Tonner Canyon and the surrounding areas. Members will look at everything from transportation to the canyon’s history of oil production and take a bus tour of area.

The group then will be charged with devising a blueprint that eventually will be used by the council in making planning decisions for the canyon. A team of seven consultants, including geologists, economists and landscape architects, has been hired to help oversee the project.

The planning process is expected to be completed in March.