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Anaheim officials are slated to consider a nearly 500 luxury apartment development in Deer Canyon in the hills that’s facing opposition from nearby residents over concerns it will increase fire evacuation times in a wildfire hazard zone.
If approved, the project – dubbed the Hills Preserve – will include a rooftop deck and pool, a bowling alley, a bike shop, a dog spa, a multi-level garage, about 43 acres of open space and office buildings off of Santa Ana Canyon Road near the 91 freeway.
The developer, SALT Development, will also be required to contribute $500,000 to the city’s affordable housing trust and pay close to $2.3 million to Anaheim Fire and Rescue to be used to buy equipment, train personnel and enhance response capacities.
City council members are expected to vote on the project at the 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday, which can be live streamed on YouTube.
The council meeting comes weeks after firefighters fully contained the Airport Fire – that started in Trabuco Canyon and burned over 23,000 acres – and years after the Canyon Fire 2 forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and burned over 9,000 acres.
It also comes amid efforts by Anaheim officials to spur the development of affordable homes in a city that has long struggled to produce housing for low-income families as state officials increase pressure on cities across the state to address California’s housing shortage.
[Read: Anaheim Inches Closer to Mandating Affordable Housing]
Meanwhile, nearby residents have been raising a host of concerns on the proposal including increased evacuation times and increased fire risk.
They’re also concerned about endangering local wildlife, increasing noise pollution and worsening nearby traffic.
Over 50 people spoke against the project near Deer Canyon Park Preserve during an over 6-hour planning commission meeting on Sept. 30, citing worries about an increase in emergency evacuation times and an increase in traffic congestion.
Tammy Hill, a resident near Deer Canyon who spoke at the commission meeting, said in a Thursday phone interview she first became concerned about the project when she learned about it three years ago.
Hill’s top concern is that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention has deemed the area where the project is proposed a very high fire hazard severity zone and at the greatest risk of a wildfire.
“It’s marked that way for a reason. I think the people that live here respect it. Not only are we concerned for our safety but those that would move into that type of environment,” she said.
“It’s not if another fire will come – it’s when.”
Hill added that she’s had to evacuate her home twice, once in the Canyon Fire 2 and in the 2008 Freeway Fire.
She also said nearby residents want another evacuation route added before more development is built.
“As a city, we need to work on a better way for the current residents to be able to evacuate safely and have the firemen work safely to help the community,” she said.
“If SALT development wants to work with the city and work on additional evacuation routes, then maybe that should be the next step before we add more people to put them in danger again.”
She is not alone in her concerns.
A group Hill helped cofound, Save Deer Canyon, started an online petition against the proposal which has garnered over 3,800 signatures as of Thursday.
Developers insist the project is safe.
According to the project’s website, the development will include fire mitigations like fire breaks, defensible space and upgraded water supply systems.
Brian Hobbs, president and co-founder of SALT Development, said at the commission meeting that the project will bring in above market housing, make the area more walkable and bike friendly, and they would provide and maintain publicly accessible trails to the park.
Hobbs also said the apartment complex will be a non-combustible structure that will prevent wildfires from spreading, create jobs, bring in more customers to a nearby retail center and provide 50 discounted homes to police officers and firefighters.
“Focusing solely on evacuation misses the point and is contrary to the city’s own wildfire strategy,” he said. “Intrinsic elements of the project substantially enhance the wildfire resiliency of the entire area as compared to existing conditions, thereby reducing the need to evacuate at all.”
“The project makes the area safer,” Hobbs added.
Hobbs did not respond to emailed questions last week about the project.
An environmental impact report states the project would increase evacuation times in the area – which are already sitting at more than three hours before development of the proposal.
It also states that project design features will reduce fire risk, increase emergency access and increase wildfire resilience.
Residents aren’t the only ones concerned about evacuation times.
City staff – in consultation with Anaheim Fire and Police – recommended planning commissioners deny the project due to concerns of increased evacuation times, according to a staff report.
Anaheim Fire Chief Pat Russell said at the Sept. 30 planning commission meeting that while officials have developed an evacuation plan for the hills based on current development, there are always challenges with fire evacuations.
“We have had several wildfires in the east end of Anaheim that despite our best efforts we have lost structures, we’ve had residents injured and we’ve had firefighters injured in some of those fires,” he said.
“Anything we do that adds to the complexity of that environment I’m not supportive of.”
Over five people spoke in favor of the project at the Sept. 30 planning commission meeting, including a representative of the Los Angeles/Orange County Building Trades Council and a few residents with some saying it would bring much needed housing to OC’s largest city.
Dartagnan Pendleton, a resident, said his grandkids would have to move out of the county to find an apartment due to the lack of housing in OC and the project won’t impact the quality of life of the neighbors.
“We need housing here now,” he said. “Every project that comes forward in Anaheim Hills is subject to this unwarranted fear and anxiety and quite frankly panic.”
In the end, a majority of planning commissioners voted in favor of the project.
Meanwhile, city campaign finance disclosures show executives with SALT Development – based in Utah – collectively donated $6,300 to current Councilman Stephen Faessel’s 2020 campaign.
Public calendars for city officials posted on the city website show Tom Daly, former Anaheim mayor and a lobbyist for SALT Development, has met with Councilmembers Norma Campos Kurtz, Natalie Rubalcava and Natalie Meeks about the project.
Meeks, who represents the district the project is located in, also met with local residents about the development, according to her calendar.
Hill said Kurtz, who is up for election, and Councilman Jose Diaz also spoke with concerned residents about the project.
If the project is denied, the developer and their attorneys have informed the city that they would move forward with what is called a builder’s remedy application for a more dense project in the same location.
Builder’s remedy applications allows developers to ignore certain zoning and move forward with a residential development without city approval if 20% of the homes in the project are affordable and if the city doesn’t have a housing plan certified by the state like in Anaheim.
The builder’s remedy proposal would include 1,280 homes, including at least 250 affordable units.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.
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