LA HABRA : 73-Unit Project Gets Environmental OK

The City Council voted 4 to 0 Tuesday to certify the environmental impact report for a 73-unit townhome condominium complex that has sparked opposition from neighbors who are worried that it will worsen traffic and decrease property values.

“The city is allowing this developer to come in and take multimillion-dollar views away from the residents,” said Marian Lemus, a lifelong La Habra resident who is leading opposition to the development. She was one of a half-dozen protesters who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting.

The proposed project, called La Habra Knolls, is planned for an irregularly shaped site north of Imperial Highway, east of Idaho Street and west of Del Sur and Sonora avenues.

Lemus’ parents live next to the site in the hillside Alta Vista neighborhood and stand to lose the panoramic view they have always enjoyed from their backyard. The primarily Latino neighborhood has existed since 1919, and some residents there claim roots extending back more than six generations.

The historical significance of the neighborhood and concern over traffic along Idaho Street, which residents consider a “secondary highway,” have created opposition to developing the site since it was zoned for high-density residential development two decades ago.

The environmental impact report says the project is expected to add 424 daily vehicle trips on Idaho Street.

La Habra Knolls will have between 15 and 23 Spanish-style townhomes per acre. The one- and two-bedroom units are expected to sell for $150,000 to 195,000.