County OKs Plan for 795 Homes in Tonner Canyon
Orange County supervisors Tuesday approved the construction of 795 homes in Tonner Canyon and the area’s eventual annexation by Brea, overriding concerns by environmentalists about houses being built atop a former oil field.
City officials voted for the development last month. Nuevo Energy Co. promised to keep the bulk of the 798 acres as open space, building on 180 acres and restoring the rest. About 16 acres will remain in oil production until it is phased out.
Three key changes made the project more palatable, county Planning Director Tom Mathews said: The developer threw out plans to extend Tonner Canyon Road, eliminated a commercial site and agreed not to allow any bus storage or maintenance--a worry of city officials and nearby residents.
“I firmly believe the proper balance has been struck with this project,” Supervisor Todd Spitzer said. “We need more housing, not less.”
Several speakers, however, criticized the county’s environmental review. They said traffic already is heavy from the Riverside Freeway overflow and would get worse with 795 more homes.
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