Central : ORANGE : Packing Facility Will Be Razed

The historic Olive Heights Citrus Assn. packinghouse, a crumpling reminder of the county’s agricultural past, will be demolished later this year under a redevelopment plan approved Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors.

The landmark structure, which has been decaying steadily since the last oranges were boxed in 1984, will be replaced by a housing tract, county officials said.

The imminent demise of the mammoth, three-acre plant pleased many nearby residents, who said the building has degenerated into an eyesore that attracts homeless people and gang members.

“It’s so run-down, there’s nothing else to do but tear it down,” resident Judy Sobel said. “It makes our neighborhood look like scuzville.”

The building is structurally unstable and marred by graffiti. A 1988 fire gutted the interior and collapsed the roof. Even the giant block letters that read “ORANGE SUNKIST ORANGE” are peeling away.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the demolition as part of its annual neighborhood development and preservation program.

The packinghouse is in an unincorporated island surrounded by the city.

The $80,000 cost of the demolition will be paid by the county and eventually reimbursed by the property owner and home developer, said Bob Tunstall, an aide to Supervisor William G. Steiner.

Demolition will begin after plans for the housing development are approved, perhaps as early as next month, Tunstall said.

The county also plans to complete an excavation of the land around the packinghouse, which was once home to the Yorba Ranch.

Excavators will sift through recently discovered trash pits and search for foundations of the original buildings.

“This is a very interesting site in terms of early California history,” said Rick Efker, a county housing and redevelopment official.