Pacific Coast Homes to reduce development of West Coyote Hills. Water and energy-conservation were cited as reasons for the proposed cutback in addition to public opposition. Photo by Christa Connelly/Daily Titan Photo Editor
Representatives from Pacific Coast Homes (PCH) presented their efforts to meet regulatory and public demands in their proposed West Coyote Hills housing development program during the Fullerton Planning Commission’s special meeting on the evening of March 10.
The meeting was the first of the two-part hearing, which will conclude with public opponents’ arguments against the project March 18.
Public concerns were focused on water shortage, greenhouse gas emissions, contamination by oil wells, traffic conditions and environmental impacts on federally-protected species in the area.
Joan Wolff, planning consultant for Fullerton, said some air quality and greenhouse gas impacts are unavoidable with any new project and need to be weighed with the benefits of any given project.
Major changes made to the existing master plan of the housing project included a reduction of planned homes, planned water and energy-conservation measures, and the involvement of a third party to manage funding and maintenance of the planned preservation of selected natural land.
PCH collaborated with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service about 20 years ago to protect the California Gnatcatcher, a federally-protected bird species found in the West Coyote Hills area, said Jim Pugliese, PCH project manager.
Measures taken by PCH to preserve the natural state of the area included the removal of an entire planned neighborhood so that no homes were visible from the Robert E. Ward Nature Preserve.
Deborah Rogers, director of conservation science at the Center for Natural Lands Management, represented the non-profit organization’s interest in managing the nature-preserve that PCH plans to include into its housing project. PCH plans on managing the preserved land through endowments.
“We believe that conservation has to be perpetual if it’s going to be effective,†Rogers said. “There’s no point investing in 10 years of conservation only to have those species go extinct, or those lands degradedâ€
PCH has actively responded to feedback by the Parks and Management Commission, the Energy Resource and Management Committee and the Traffic and Circulation Commission.
While the Parks and Management Commission and the Traffic and Circulation Commission approved of the planned development, the Energy and Resource Management Committee noted that PCH needed to take further measures to conserve water and energy.
Members of both the public and the Planning Commission voiced issues that were not resolved by regulation alone.
Douglas Chaffee, vice chairman of the Fullerton Planning Commission, had concerns about the availability of low-cost housing for those employed to complete the project.
The public also had concerns about whether PCHs measures were purely to meet regulatory standards, or to genuinely reply to the public’s demands.
“I would say our sustainability program, as it stands today, exceeds current law,†Pugliese said.
The Friends of Coyote Hills, an organization opposed to the housing project, will appear before the Planning Commission March 18; the Planning Commission will then make its recommendation to the Fullerton City Council for a final decision on whether or not to allow the housing project to move forward.
The entire hearing is available at:
Fullerton.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=215