Residents Assail Homes at Hughes Site in Fullerton

Public debate raged into the night Monday as the Fullerton City Council considered whether to approve a sprawling development on the former Hughes Aircraft site.

The Amerige Heights complex would include 1,250 homes and a large commercial district on acreage that some residents have long argued is polluted.

Several of the estimated 250 people packed into the council chambers and overflowing into the lobby spoke of their fears of contamination.

Four hours into the meeting, Don Black, a 40-year resident of the city, urged the council to take its time with a decision that will have lasting effects.

“Rushing into this and doing what’s convenient sounds like an implausible approach,” he said. “You’re the ones who are responsible.” Staff from SunCal, the would-be developers, said the state hasn’t ordered any cleanup, and monitoring wells showed levels of contaminants acceptable under state and federal guidelines.

Members of the Chamber of Commerce also spoke in favor of the project, saying the added sales-tax revenue would be a boost for Fullerton.

Hughes Aircraft developed the research-and-development facility at Malvern Avenue and Gilbert Street in the 1950s and opened it in 1957 for use in making defense systems for the United States and its allies. At peak production in 1989, the plant covered nearly 2-million square feet and employed 11,000 people. The plant closed in 1995 and was subsequently bought by Raytheon, which in June completed a two-year voluntary cleanup of the grounds and remains responsible for further cleanup of the site.

The use of solvents, chemicals and radioactive materials on the property raised public concern that any development at the site would cause a potential health hazard to future residents, as well as to students at nearby Sunny Hills High School.

But an analysis of the site by an independent consultant hired by the city determined the levels of contamination detected would not pose a health risk. City officials said the state Department of Toxic Substance Control, which has been reviewing two years’ worth of studies of contamination at the site, has not issued any orders to clean up the property.

The project calls for 195 acres of homes, mixed with about 85 acres of commercial, office and research-and-development space. Streets would be lined with pedestrian pathways and traffic roundabouts designed to reflect the character of some of the older parts of Fullerton.

About 20 acres would be set aside as open space, and a 10-acre parcel would be dedicated for use as a school. The developer will also give $500,000 for a technology laboratory at Sunny Hills High School.

The Planning Commission voted unanimously Aug. 23 to support the project.

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Environmental Concern In Fullerton

The planned Amerige Heights encompasses 1,250 homes and a commercial district. The project is controversial because of solvents and other toxins found on the site. A consultant’s report downplays the health risk.