Politics & Government

Diamond Bar Council Gives Nod to Site D Development

Lennar will contribute $700,000 to the city's development and park fund as part of the agreement.

Lennar Homes, developers of a planned residential project dubbed Willow Heights, will contribute $700,000 to Diamond Bar's park and city development fund as it prepares to move forward with construction of the homes.

The City Council Tuesday night voted 5-0 to approve a vesting tentative tract map to subdivide the land on the southeast side of Diamond Bar Boulevard and Brea Canyon Road into 63 lots for the development of 182 homes and a minimum two-acre neighborhood park.

Lennar Homes, the developers of the project formerly known as Site D, plans to build the park at 4.7 acres, according to staff.

Also approved were architectural and landscape plans for the land and a permit to remove 83 existing trees and replace them with 249 others.

The contribution to the city's park and development fund was negotiated between Lennar and City Manager Jim DeStefano in lieu of covering a Los Angeles County Flood Control Channel that runs through the planned park site, Community Development Director Greg Gubman said.

The council in November had asked Lennar Homes to look into the prospect of covering the channel rather than building a planned pedestrian bridge over it.

Gubman said the planned Dec. 3 vote on the project was postponed after Lennar Homes expressed concerns about the cost, time, and permitting complications covering the channel would add to the project.

Lennar proposed the one-time contribution to the park fund instead and negotiations began, he said. It will be paid in 182 installments.

The council's green light comes more than two months after the Planning Commission recommended approval of the project.

At that Oct. 8 meeting, residents opposed to the development said they didn't want any more homes squeezed into Diamond Bar. Others said they had concerns about the project adding traffic to an already snarled Diamond Bar Boulevard.

“Our neighborhood can’t take these extra people," said Darci Gunter. "I am really upset that nobody is listening to the neighborhood and we just care about the cash dollar.”

At Tuesday's council meeting, resident Vinod Kashyap, who has been vocal at several meetings about his concerns about the project's environmental impact report, attempted to broach the subject once again.

However, Mayor Carol Herrera said because the council took extensive comments from residents at both the Nov. 19 and Dec. 3 meetings on various aspect of the project, and the public hearing was closed Nov. 19, only remarks on the added park contribution would be heard.

Kashyap said that he felt his concerns "were falling on deaf ears" and that the council should listen to the residents.

Most of Site D, 28.7 acres, is owned by the Walnut Valley Unified School District. The district negotiated an agreement of nearly $40 million with Lennar Homes. Adjacent to it is a .93 acre piece of property the city of Diamond Bar owns.  The entire site is in escrow.

Newly elected Councilwoman Nancy Lyons, who until recently served on the Walnut Valley Unified Board of Trustees, said she was pleased the the development was moving forward.

"That is truly making life better for 15,000 students in the Walnut Valley Unified School District" she said. "That will mean that 500 teachers and 200 and some other employees will be able to work this year instead of having furlough days."

The plans for development call for the construction of 62 townhomes, 73 detached two-story single-family condos, and 47 single family homes.

The conceptual park plan includes a 3.8 acre rain garden, a walking trail, a pedestrian bridge, and entry feature, and trail head parking, she said.

Jeff Smith, with Lennar Homes, said after taking more time to research what covering the flood channel would entail, the compromise made with the city is a fair one for both sides.

"We do believe we've come to a very common approach to addressing this issue that will benefit all parties and especially the community," he said. "We are really excited about moving forward with Willow Heights."

Mayor Pro Tem Steve Tye said it would be a very expensive and time-consuming process to cover the flood control channel.  It is too late for Lennar to accomplish that for Willow Heights project, but the city can do at a later date if desired, he said.

As for the city not taking input from residents, Tye said that discussions about Site D started in late 2010.

"It has been as transparent as anything I can think of every step of the way," he said.  "Any public outreach the city required of Lennar, the entire community was invited to participate in that, and all of that was recorded for the record. I don't think it could be any more transparent."





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