Church, developer interested in city property

Two interesting proposals for the city-owned Bastanchury Road property once planned for Friends Christian High School are among responses submitted to city officials after a “request for interest” was issued for the 40 acres between Casa Loma and Eureka avenues.

Letters of interest were submitted by Brian Moore, pastor of the nearly 1,000-member Crosspointe Church, for a northern portion of the site and Ryan Aeh, a vice president for developer City Ventures, for a southern section to build about 20 estate-sized homes.

The proposals were mentioned in a city-commissioned Urban Land Institute report outlining alternatives for the site that included mixed uses such as dog and skate parks, soccer fields and an equestrian center, as noted in last week's column (see at ocregister.com/yorbalinda).

Both ventures would appear to be financially feasible, unlike the Friends Christian project for a 1,200-student high school hindered by expenses associated with land preparation and escalating lease payments to the city for about 32 acres of the property.

Moore, pastor since 2006 of the church on Yorba Linda Boulevard between Avocado Avenue and Ohio Street, told me his plan would be a “win-win” for the city and the growing church, since the 800-1,000-seat sanctuary would be available for performing arts and community events.

Moore's letter to the city stated the church would prefer to buy the property based on an appraisal of the land's value with the current deed restrictions but also would be willing to lease the property for 99 years at 6.5 percent of appraised value with annual 2.5 percent increases.

“Crosspointe can provide proof of funds showing significant cash reserves” and “demonstrate ability to perform financial obligations in a lease scenario,” Moore noted in his letter to the city. He stated the church could pay cash by placing debt on the current facility worth $7 million.

Church plans center on the north or “tank farm” portion bordering Lakeview Avenue and part of the central “main” site, both deed-restricted for public uses, and include an initial facility of about 50,000-square feet with future expansion to some 100,000-square feet.

Moore also told me the church would pay for a parking lot to be shared with nearby Lakeview Elementary School and for city recreational uses. His proposal to the city includes a lot with about 600 spaces.

The City Ventures proposal is for the southern 13.5-acre “base” site fronting Bastanchury Road that's not deed-restricted and is currently zoned “residential estate,” a category that requires a minimum 15,000-square-foot lot size and a maximum density of 1.8 units per acre.

The developer outlines a subdivision of about 20 lots for market-rate, single-family detached homes, according to the letter to the city from Aeh, vice president of land acquisitions. An offer to pay the city $16.5 million for the property is included in the letter.