BREA : Council Endorses 166-Acre Development
Unocal Land & Development Co. won its bid this week to build housing and commercial development on 166 acres near Imperial Highway and Kraemer Boulevard, the site of a golf course and former fertilizer-manufacturing plant.
The development, which has not been controversial, was approved unanimously by the City Council. No residents spoke against the plan during the public meeting.
The developer, Unocal, must remove some waste from the soil before construction begins in 1996, officials said. The company plans to build 475 single-family homes on about 100 acres and commercial development on 60 acres, as well as some parkland and open space. Of the housing, 48 units will meet low-income requirements, officials said.
The site is bordered by residential areas on two sides and light industry on the others. Part of it covers what is now the 18-hole Birch Hills Golf Course. Under the plan, Unocal must develop another course within the city or in its “sphere of influence,” land that can be annexed, before it can shut down the Birch Hills course.
The remaining property housed the Collier Chemical Plant, which produced fertilizers from 1950 to 1991. Some nitrogen, a key component of fertilizer and considered to be non-hazardous, was found in the ground in some areas and will be removed, Unocal officials said.
Unocal also must improve surrounding roads to accommodate the estimated 25,500 daily car trips the development will generate.
“This is a very uncontroversial project because it creates jobs and housing for the city,” said Bill Robb, Brea Chamber of Commerce president.
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