Park Proposal for Canyon Wilderness Draws Protests

For 31 years, George Pulliam has lived in the natural quiet of Deer Canyon, his five acres sheltered by stands of eucalyptus trees and home to numerous native animals and plants.

Pulliam has taken in stride the rise of housing tracts on nearby ridges and has tolerated the inevitable development of the area.

But now Pulliam and some of his neighbors are fighting a city proposal to transform 130 acres of city-owned, undeveloped land in their area into a park preserve. If this rich piece of wilderness is turned into a park, Pulliam and others contend, it will be overrun by people and cars.

“If you have parking lots and toilets, people will come,” Pulliam said.

Today, the canyon is still a pristine place shaded by oak groves and sycamore trees and visited by such wildlife as hawks, rabbits, coyotes, a couple of pairs of endangered California gnatcatchers and even an occasional bobcat or deer.

The park master plan is to be discussed by the Anaheim Planning Commission at 10:30 a.m. today. It calls for such improvements as hiking and equestrian trails, three small parking lots for as many as 30 cars in an area of the canyon off Hollow Oak Drive, restrooms, trail rest areas, picnic tables and lookout points.

“Ninety-five percent of the area would remain exactly like it is,” Community Services Director Chris Jarvi said. “We’re not talking about any drastic changes to the property.”

Among the controversial aspects of the plan is creation of a public entrance for cars into Deer Canyon from Santa Ana Canyon Road. This would require city acquisition of portions of several private properties, including about one acre owned by Pulliam.

Pulliam, 69, and his wife, Donna, 70, who moved to their property in 1966, are strongly against a park entrance road across their land.

“It’s going to destroy the way of life we’ve had for 31 years,” said George Pulliam, who keeps dogs, cats, geese, ducks and a goat. “It will make our life a living hell. It’s going to bring people into my backyard and cause problems to my animals”

Even though Pulliam says he will refuse to sell his land, the city could take it through eminent domain proceedings.

“It’s outrageous to me that they want to take our property in order to provide parking spots in a park,” Pulliam said.

But Jarvi said that a park entrance and exit off Santa Ana Canyon Road is the best alternative because it provides the most direct and least intrusive access into the canyon.

Some residents living in the new homes overlooking Deer Canyon also are urging city officials to leave the canyon undeveloped.

“Basically it’s the traffic and the crime that we don’t want in the neighborhood,” nearby resident Julie Filppi said. “In my opinion, the city is pushing for something that the residents particularly don’t want.”

Already, some residents complain of speeding motorists on residential streets and teenagers hanging out in the canyon, and those problems would worsen if the park is built, Filppi fears. She is circulating petitions opposing the city’s plan and has drummed up more than 100 signatures.

But some other Anaheim Hills residents favor the notion of a park.

Linda Bedford, a 26-year resident, said she supports equestrian trails and public use of the area. And Sonja Grewal, a resident since 1980 who lives a few miles from Deer Canyon, said she favors a parking lot and restrooms.

City officials have been hoping for years to create the park. Deer Canyon’s former owner, Texaco Anaheim Hills Inc., dedicated the land as open space 17 years ago as part of a legal settlement with Orange County. A later landowner, the Presley Cos., deeded Deer Canyon to the city in 1993.

More meetings on the park proposal are planned, including a community meeting March 10 at 7 p.m. at El Rancho Middle School. Anaheim’s Park and Recreation Commission is expected to review the proposal March 26 at Brookhurst Community Center. Because of the controversy, Jarvi said the City Council, which normally doesn’t review park master plans, also might examine the Deer Canyon proposal.

“One of the main things people forget is that the site is going to be used whether it’s a park or not,” Jarvi said.

“If we don’t accommodate for a park use, then you run into problems. You can have unsupervised use, sanitation problems, kids playing with fireworks, people drinking alcohol, vandalism and the homeless living down there.”