PLACENTIA : 350-Unit Development Wins Council’s OK

The City Council approved a 350-condominium development for east Placentia this week, despite objections from some residents.

The new development will feature units the developer anticipates will sell for $95,000 to $180,000. The development is to be built on 31.7 acres of land bounded by Jefferson Street on the east, Alta Vista Avenue on the north, Van Buren Avenue on the west and the Richfield Channel on the south.

Developer Nelson Chung told the council he designed the tract to be a transition from apartments south of the Richfield Channel to the single-family homes across Alta Vista.

It will include 180 attached condominiums on the southern portion of the property and 170 detached condominiums on the northern portion.

Chung also noted that the “medium-high” zoning designation on the property would permit up to 18 units per acre, but the tract averages 11 units per acre.

Some residents asked the council to postpone a decision on the project because it would boost traffic and strain other facilities.

“I don’t believe that the streets or the schools are equipped to handle this,” said Diane Marchand, who lives outside the 300-foot radius in which 38 property owners were notified. “That traffic is definitely going to have an impact on us.”

Resident Dana Haas said he worried that too many recreational vehicles would be parked on streets by new residents and that the homeowners association would not be able to enforce parking regulations. The city would not have authority to control parking because it is private property.

Chung said people with RVs could find private storage areas to park the vehicles and that city planners did not include some areas in the development that could be used for parking.

The council approved the tract Tuesday on a 4-0 vote with Councilwoman Maria Moreno absent.