CERRITOS : Tentative OK Given to 61-Home Development

The City Council has given an Orange County developer tentative permission to build 61 homes on 13 acres of vacant land next to Whitney High School.

Council members approved a development map by Costa Mesa-based Warmington Homes, but final project plans must still clear the Planning Commission before construction begins.

Warmington officials said they will deliver the detailed plans to city staff by December and hope to start building in January. The homes should go up for sale in the summer of 1995, said Jay Deckard, a Warmington senior project manager.

ABC Unified School District entered a partnership with Warmington last year to develop the property to raise money for much-needed repairs, classroom construction and a new gymnasium at the school. The developer purchased the property for $7.7 million and will give ABC a small percentage of each home sale. The homes will range in price from $350,000 to $375,000.

Council member Grace Hu cast the lone vote against the proposal. She said the tract will create congestion in the neighborhood. “The city is developing very, very rapidly, and we are not leaving any space behind for the people after us to develop,” she said.

Nearby residents and parents of students at the school have voiced opposition to the plan, saying they believe that ABC is not receiving a fair price for the land and that the development will cause parking difficulties for students.