Council Members Cool Opposition to Yorba Linda Homes

Fearing a lawsuit by a developer, two Yorba Linda City Council members said Tuesday that they were rethinking their opposition to the previous council’s approval of 1,000 new hillside homes.

“Based on the dialogue with the applicant,” said Councilman Ken Ryan, who had initiated a motion to undo the earlier decision, “I’m definitely going to advocate that we not put the city in a position of [being the target of] litigation. I think we’re going down the path of working with the developer.”

Newly elected Councilwoman Keri Lynn Wilson, who had initially sided with Ryan, agreed: “We don’t want to violate anybody’s rights.”

The council was scheduled to vote on the matter Tuesday night, but no decision had been reached by late evening.

Beverly Hills-based Shappell Industries won approval of its plan about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, just hours after the polls had closed on election day.

To accommodate the development, the council voted to amend the city’s General Plan to eliminate open space in favor of new homes, allow a major extension of Bastanchury Road and increase the area’s density from 300 to about 1,000 homes, including 385 apartments or townhomes for senior citizens.

As part of the approval, Shappell agreed to set aside land for the city’s first high school.

Residents opposed to the housing spent weeks gathering signatures to overturn its approval, but that effort failed. Petition opponents had warned that overturning the council’s decision could delay construction of the high school for years.

Wilson said her concerns regarding the increased density could be met through negotiations with Shappell. “I want to see the plan massaged a bit. If we can make improvements in the plan, I think it’s the right thing to do for the community.”