A new vision grows for the city
(Part 5 of a five-part series)
As Yorba Linda grew from a population of 12,000 living on 2,864 acres during the 1967 incorporation year to nearly 63,000 residents spread over 20 square miles today, the most contentious debates among the citizenry have always been about zoning and housing density.
Even though less vacant land is available for future large-scale development, these debates will likely continue in the coming years, as City Council members remake the town’s original business district and continue with infill projects on smaller parcels.
Community leaders of the 1960s promoted cityhood to stave off the county’s development plans, and the 1970s council members envisioned a low-maintenance city with a semi-rural atmosphere.
But the mid-1980s and 1990s brought new council members with a different vision: a suburban community with more homes, supporting infrastructure and many municipal amenities.
This decade’s big project is centered on Old Town, with council members assuming a major role in revitalizing commercial and residential properties they say suffer from economic and physical blight.
As visualized, the city’s new Town Center would include hundreds of apartments, including low-income units, one or two multi-level parking structures and an Imperial Highway pedestrian bridge.
The council approved a Town Center Master Plan last year and added the authority earlier this year to condemn and buy commercial and residential land. They say the plan’s economic success depends on building apartments and small-lot homes throughout the area.
City officials say that just having the ability to condemn gives the city’s Redevelopment Agency flexibility to negotiate successful willing-buyer, willing-seller transactions. The city expects to purchase the land needed within the eight-year eminent domain period.
Opponents say the sweeping revisions will uproot longtime homes and businesses to create a high-density, fanciful version of a downtown that never existed in Yorba Linda’s past. They worry about the fate of displaced homeowners and businesses, as well as several historic structures, which might be saved under various future development proposals.
Former 28-year Councilman Hank Wedaa doesn’t support the Town Center plan, Imperial bridge or high-density development.
“Nothing worth anything from the past will likely be preserved,” Wedaa says, adding, “I don’t see what they envision coming about.” He thinks today’s small stores will be replaced by a high-rent district, and the low-income apartments will not provide the customers business needs to survive.
Wedaa notes that many similar replacement projects have not succeeded in other communities, but concedes he “could be wrong.” He suggests an emphasis on restaurants and more planning.
The longtime low-density leader adds that many on today’s council are “good people trying to do what they believe is best for the city.” As an active participant in zoning and density battles for three decades, Wedaa advises everyone to respect “honest differences of opinion.”
Wedaa’s advice is sound, not only for the Town Center density debate but for numerous other controversial projects on the drawing boards for the coming years.
The future will see intense dialogue about the private and public high school sites, the Imperial Highway railroad overcrossing and infill development on underutilized or vacant land parcels, many of which are spread throughout the city’s original west side.
A FINAL NOTE
Reporter Amanda Beck’s interview with former Councilman Dale Chaput earlier in this series stirred some wistful feelings in many old-time residents.
During his two-term tenure on the 1970s council, Chaput focused his attention on the zoning and density concerns that led citizens to vote for cityhood 37 years ago this month.
Chaput said in the interview, “The thing that really controlled my planning at that time was, if I didn’t want it in my back yard, I wasn’t going to zone it for somebody else’s back yard.”
This year’s three incumbents and two challengers seeking three council positions on the Nov. 2 ballot just might gain some political mileage by adopting Chaput’s simple tenet from the 1970s.
As Yorba Linda grew from a population of 12,000 living on 2,864 acres during the 1967 incorporation year to nearly 63,000 residents spread over 20 square miles today, the most contentious debates among the citizenry have always been about zoning and housing density.
Even though less vacant land is available for future large-scale development, these debates will likely continue in the coming years, as City Council members remake the town’s original business district and continue with infill projects on smaller parcels.
Community leaders of the 1960s promoted cityhood to stave off the county’s development plans, and the 1970s council members envisioned a low-maintenance city with a semi-rural atmosphere.
But the mid-1980s and 1990s brought new council members with a different vision: a suburban community with more homes, supporting infrastructure and many municipal amenities.
This decade’s big project is centered on Old Town, with council members assuming a major role in revitalizing commercial and residential properties they say suffer from economic and physical blight.
As visualized, the city’s new Town Center would include hundreds of apartments, including low-income units, one or two multi-level parking structures and an Imperial Highway pedestrian bridge.
The council approved a Town Center Master Plan last year and added the authority earlier this year to condemn and buy commercial and residential land. They say the plan’s economic success depends on building apartments and small-lot homes throughout the area.
City officials say that just having the ability to condemn gives the city’s Redevelopment Agency flexibility to negotiate successful willing-buyer, willing-seller transactions. The city expects to purchase the land needed within the eight-year eminent domain period.
Opponents say the sweeping revisions will uproot longtime homes and businesses to create a high-density, fanciful version of a downtown that never existed in Yorba Linda’s past. They worry about the fate of displaced homeowners and businesses, as well as several historic structures, which might be saved under various future development proposals.
Former 28-year Councilman Hank Wedaa doesn’t support the Town Center plan, Imperial bridge or high-density development.
“Nothing worth anything from the past will likely be preserved,” Wedaa says, adding, “I don’t see what they envision coming about.” He thinks today’s small stores will be replaced by a high-rent district, and the low-income apartments will not provide the customers business needs to survive.
Wedaa notes that many similar replacement projects have not succeeded in other communities, but concedes he “could be wrong.” He suggests an emphasis on restaurants and more planning.
The longtime low-density leader adds that many on today’s council are “good people trying to do what they believe is best for the city.” As an active participant in zoning and density battles for three decades, Wedaa advises everyone to respect “honest differences of opinion.”
Wedaa’s advice is sound, not only for the Town Center density debate but for numerous other controversial projects on the drawing boards for the coming years.
The future will see intense dialogue about the private and public high school sites, the Imperial Highway railroad overcrossing and infill development on underutilized or vacant land parcels, many of which are spread throughout the city’s original west side.
A FINAL NOTE
Reporter Amanda Beck’s interview with former Councilman Dale Chaput earlier in this series stirred some wistful feelings in many old-time residents.
During his two-term tenure on the 1970s council, Chaput focused his attention on the zoning and density concerns that led citizens to vote for cityhood 37 years ago this month.
Chaput said in the interview, “The thing that really controlled my planning at that time was, if I didn’t want it in my back yard, I wasn’t going to zone it for somebody else’s back yard.”
This year’s three incumbents and two challengers seeking three council positions on the Nov. 2 ballot just might gain some political mileage by adopting Chaput’s simple tenet from the 1970s.
posted by Jim Drummond at 12:00 AM
