Page 4
By Daniel Langhorne A developer’s proposal to build
ties]. We felt that having a project at that location would solve a lot of different problems.”
Stuck in the middle Western States Housing Devel-
opment Co.’s proposal includes wrapping two- and three-story apartment buildings containing 65 units, around the 1931 school- house, which cannot be torn down because it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The development would also
III said the project is an impor- tant step toward solving the lack of multi-family housing in Old Towne that is driving Chapman students to rent single-family homes, bringing beer pong games and electronic music to once- sleepy neighborhoods. “It’s caus- ing a lot of pain for the city,” Pomeroy said. “The older neigh- bors are at odds with the police department [over students’ par-
include the rehabilitation of the quickly deteriorating school- house so it can house 20 dormi- tory rooms. This portion of the project has raised some eyebrows at city hall because the National Park Service has guidelines for rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic schoolhouses, which include preserving character-de- fining exterior and interior fea- tures such as corridors, classroom partitions, doors and windows. Killefer Square residents would
have two levels of underground parking, totaling 138 spaces, available. However, Pomeroy ex- pects many students to bike, walk
Foothills Sentry
85 dormitory units on the Killefer School’s campus near Old Towne marks the first non-Chapman af- filiated project in recent history to propose housing for the ever- growing population of university students. If city officials approve the project, the Orange Unified School District stands to earn about $5 million from the sale of the 1.7-acre property at 541 N. Lemon St., which it declared as surplus, getting the attention of several housing developers and Chapman University. Architect Leason Pomeroy
or skateboard between the project and Chapman because they are less than a block apart. Jeff Frankel, preservation chair
for the Old Towne Preservation Association, said the group op- poses the project as it’s proposed because it overwhelms the his- toric schoolhouse. The proposed apartment buildings shield any view of the schoolhouse from Lemon Street. He believes that the developers and Chapman should renegotiate their bids for the property because the school district marketed the site as bare land.
The price of preservation “The fact is that everyone who
bid on it, [thought] they were bid- ding on a blank canvas,” he said. “The property from a developer’s standpoint is worthless with the historic [schoolhouse] on it.” While Kris Olsen, vice presi-
dent of campus planning and operations at Chapman, empha- sizes that the proposal for Kille- fer Square is purely a develop- er-driven project, he also said the university supports it. “We
welcome non-single-family-resi- dence student housing solutions, particularly in areas that do not disturb our neighbors’ quality of life,” Olsen said in an email. Killefer Square is not the only
student housing development that Pomeroy has in the works. He is proposing to convert an historic building at 401 W. Chapman Ave. into a restaurant and build student housing that includes 30 beds on the property’s north side, between Atchinson and Cypress streets. Pomeroy hopes to get approval for this project by the end of the year.
Housing and holdings Killefer Square appears to be
getting a warm reception from officials at Orange City Hall, Councilman Mike Alvarez said. “I think we seriously have to con- sider it to help with the housing issue,” he explained. “I think it’s just a matter of how do we bring together preservation needs for that school and to what degree do we look at Leason’s project and say, ‘how much housing do we allow.’”
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Killefer Square would help with Chapman student housing conundrum Chapman is considering all op-
tions to increase student housing on campus or at other suitable off-campus locations, similar to Panther Village at Chapman Ave. and I-5, Olsen said. Among the projects Chapman plans is the de- velopment of the Villa Park Or- chards Residential Village on the parking lot that hosts the Orange Home Grown Farmers and Arti- sans Market. “The process has already begun, which includes the sensitive and thorough re- search into the historical integrity of the site and how to best pre- serve it,” Olsen said. City Manager Rick Otto said
he meets “quite frequently” with Harold Hewitt, chief operating officer and executive vice presi- dent at Chapman, and says the city will provide any support the university needs. But he said it’s hard to say if Chapman’s pro- posed housing projects will be approved. “I don’t have a crystal ball,” Otto said. “I don’t know, ultimately, what Chapman will be seeking, or if the university will get everything it is asking for.“
Locals aim to keep control of wastewater By Tina Richards
Sewage may well be Orange County’s version of black gold. Ever since the Orange County Water District began transform- ing sewage into potable water at its state-of-the-art Groundwater Replenishment System (GRS), one man’s waste has become an- other’s treasure. The reclamation plant receives
treated sewage from the sanita- tion district, purifies it and re- turns about 90 percent of it (some 70 million gallons per day) back into the aquifer that rests beneath north and central Orange County. The aquifer provides about 70 percent of the water consumed in East Orange, Villa Park, North Tustin and OPA. A recent expan- sion at the plant allows the facil- ity to recycle 100 million gallons per day, but right now, there isn’t enough waste flowing through county sewer systems to keep the plant operating at full capacity. And that’s one more reason
why residents serviced by Area 7 of the county sewer system want to keep it under local control and make sure their sewage continues flowing into the county’s GRS.
Waste not, want not Area 7 encompasses portions
of Tustin, unincorporated North Tustin, Lemon Heights, Cowan Heights, Panorama Heights and El Modena (a county island with- in Orange). The system is cur- rently operated by the OC Sanita- tion District, but that agency no longer wants to maintain small local systems, preferring to con- centrate on large regional sewer lines. The sanitation district board voted last year to offer Area 7 to the East Orange County Water District (EOCWD), because the sewer system footprint mirrors that agency’s service area. EO- CWD wants to take it on, as does the Irvine Ranch Water District, which has its own reclamation fa- cilities in Irvine and Lake Forest. Most of IRWD’s recycled water goes to South County, which has no aquifer and depends 100 per- cent on imported water. It is up to the Local Area For-
mation Commission (LAFCO) to decide which agency – EOCWD, IRWD or county sanitation – will
oversee the 7,777-acre sewer sys- tem. LAFCO has held two public hearings and one public meeting on the topic. Another public out- reach is slated for October 28. So far, the community is stand-
ing behind EOCWD. The cities of Orange, Tustin and the Foothill Communities Association have written letters in support of the Orange-based water company, as have individuals served by Area 7. Until recently, that sup- port was based on “local control.” That is, Area 7 customers believe they would be better served by the agency that already works in and knows the community. IRWD provides water to nearby OPA, but its headquarters are in Irvine, and much of its customer base is in South County.
A gray area The value of Area 7’s sewage
came up during the Sept. 9 LAF- CO public hearing. North Tus- tin resident John Sears cited his concerns that IRWD could chan- nel waste from Area 7 to its own reclamation plants and send that recycled water to South County.
He reported that some five to six million gallons of wastewater is sent from Area 7 to the GRS every day. Keeping the aquifer replenished reduces the need to purchase more expensive import- ed water. Sears emphasized the community’s desire to keep Area 7 sewage under local control. “With EOCWD managing the system,” he said, “the groundwa- ter replenishment process would be uninterrupted. You can help us keep our local water local.” IRWD says it has no plans to
change the existing sewage flow, and will negotiate an agreement with county sanitation on that is- sue. The details and time frame of that yet-to-be agreement are unknown.
Augmenting the community’s concern that its sewage may end up in Irvine, and not be reclaimed to benefit North County, was the revelation that some of Area 7’s sewage already goes to Irvine. Apparently, some years ago OC Sanitation and IRWD made a trade that allowed some of Area 7 flows to go to Irvine, in exchange for flows from another part of Ir-
vine going to the GRS. It doesn’t happen all the time, but IRWD is able to pump sewage from Area 7 to its recycling facility when it needs more water.
Since that portion of Area 7
was never annexed to IRWD, EOCWD is looking into the pos- sibility that those flows could be returned to the county’s GRS.
17871 Santiago Blvd. #228 Villa Park, CA 92861
Providing dental services for over 30 years Making smiles and changing lives every day
Comprehensive dental care for the entire family
New patients are welcome
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24