Plan for Olinda Heights Development Revised

A revised draft environmental impact report was released Tuesday for Olinda Heights, a master-planned residential development proposed for the oil-rich hillsides near Brea.

The developer, Texas-based Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc., wants to build a community of 867 single-family homes, an elementary school and recreational facilities.

Also planned for the 284-acre site are a senior citizens complex and housing for faculty and staff members from Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona and the Brea Olinda Unified School District.

Remnants of Brea’s past would be preserved with an 11-acre historical/interpretive center featuring original buildings from the oil boom town of Olinda. The town sprang up around the turn of the century and went into decline during the Depression.

Planning for Olinda Heights began four years ago, but the original scale of the residential development was criticized as too dense by Brea residents and city officials. The revised plan calls for the elimination of apartments, a 37% overall reduction in the number of homes and more open space.

Copies of the draft EIR will be available at the Brea Library and the Brea Civic & Cultural Center and will be mailed to presidents of local homeowner associations. Public comments on the document will be accepted by the city through April 14.

The Brea Planning Commission is expected to conduct a public hearing on the draft EIR in April, and the City Council may consider the project in May or June.