YORBA LINDA : Shell Oil Receives OK for 2,100-Home Project

Shell Oil Co.’s proposal to build 2,100 homes in the foothills above Yorba Linda won preliminary approval from the City Council this week.

The development, as provisionally outlined, will include a public golf course and two refuges for birds and other animals. When completed in 15 to 20 years, it will expand Yorba Linda’s borders by a mile to the north and 2 1/2 miles to the east.

At a meeting Tuesday, the council unanimously approved a change in zoning for the land from oil production to residential. The council also approved a tentative map of the area, which shows extensions of Bastanchury Road, Lakeview and Valley View avenues into the foothills.

Still to be resolved are specific housing designs and the city’s purchase of a potential high school site.

“This is the culmination of a five-year planning process,” Community Development Director Patricia Haley said Wednesday. “We think it’s going to be an enhancement to the city.”

Shell’s subsidiary, Shell Western E&P; Inc., plans to develop the foothills in four phases, with one housing tract and the 18-hole golf course scheduled first, project manager George L. Basye said. Shell plans to begin work in 1997 or 1998. The second phase of the project, which includes more housing, would begin in 1998 or 2000 and the last two phases would begin 2000 and end 2012.

As a condition of approval, Shell has agreed to set aside a 53-acre parcel and a 20-acre parcel as wildlife reserves. Shell also agreed to sell a 960-acre parcel next to Chino Hills State Park to the state at a reduced price.

Public comment on the proposal at Tuesday’s meeting was overwhelmingly positive.

“It’ll better our community,” said Jerry Cox, who said he has lived in Yorba Linda for 32 years.

A few people expressed concerns about traffic flow at the southwest corner of the project near Prospect and Wabash avenues and increases elsewhere in the city.