Vote Due on Project With Debated Lake

Developers proposing to build one of the largest residential projects in years paint a vision of homes nestled in bucolic peace alongside an 8-acre, artificial lake.

Opponents say they look at the architectural drawings and see something reminiscent of a Hitchcock movie scene: migrating birds attracted to the lake waters posing life-threatening risk to airplanes using nearby Fullerton Airport.

The City Council, which listened to hours of testimony about the project this week, must decide Tuesday whether to approve the project.

Complicating the decision is a proposal from the developer, Irvine-based Catellus Residential Group Inc., to set aside 53 of the 350 proposed homes for families of moderate income. The city’s Redevelopment Agency is considering giving the developer $1.3 million in tax rebates for the affordable-housing units and other property improvements.

The proposed lake dominated the debate during the public workshop this week.

Retired pilot A.C. Pregler told the council stories of birds hitting and even going through windshields of small planes, sometimes with fatal results for passengers. He described an experiment done by safety experts that found that a goose striking a plane hits with 96,000 pounds of force.

“There isn’t an airplane around that could withstand that type of impact,” he said.

Catellus officials countered that the lake would be carefully managed and cited techniques available for reducing the number of birds drawn to the water.

“It’s not unusual at all to have large bodies of water next to airports,” said Rhonda L. Heacock, a Catellus vice president.

The meeting Tuesday, which will include a public hearing on the development proposal, begins at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 6650 Beach Blvd.