It’s hard enough jumping through local government hoops to gain approval for a project.
But Centex Homes chose to double its pleasure (or pain) in the development of its Hawks Pointe masterplanned residential community.
On a former oil field along Beach Boulevard between Rosecrans Avenue and Hillsborough Drive, the 144-acre project straddles Orange and Los Angeles counties and the cities of La Mirada and Fullerton. The project had to get through separate, independent reviews by Fullerton and La Mirada, along with two school districts, two flood-control districts and several other agencies.
Centex Homes, a unit of Dallas-based Centex Corp., even had to deal with two cable TV providers. All the while, the majority of the land,approximately 90 acres,was in unincorporated OC and had to be annexed by Fullerton.
But Centex navigated the maze and now is grading for a project that’s set to include three neighborhoods totaling 335 single-family homes, along with about 50% open space. Residents literally can walk across the street and be in a different county and city. The 81-unit Falcon Ridge neighborhood and the 122-unit Cardinal Crest will be built in Fullerton. The 132-unit Feather Hill neighborhood will be in La Mirada.
All of the development’s neighborhoods are composed of two-story, four- to five-bedroom homes. Prices range from the high $300,000s to the mid $400,000s.
Centex expects previews beginning next month, a model grand opening in the spring and build-out within three years.
Centex is developing the project in-house. The land planning and design team include FORMA, PBS & J and William Hezmalhalch Architects Inc., all of Irvine, and Ron Baers, Planning & Urban Design Resources and Bassenian Lagoni Architects, both of Newport Beach.
Confronted with two of everything, Centex has had to meet with as many as 17 entities in a single day to get approval on an issue.
“It’s all had a layering affect that is multi-dimensional,” said Richard Douglass, vice president of land development for the Centex Homes South Coast unit in Irvine. “It becomes more complicated, in terms of infrastructure, when (the entities) won’t make a decision without the other’s OK.”
The planning process has been a lengthy one for Centex, which has had its eye on the former Chevron Corp. oil field land since 1995. Seventy-one abandoned oil wells dot the landscape. Because the capped wells are permanent, Centex is building around them, “disguising them,” according to Douglass.
Centex Homes primed the pumps, so to speak, with Fullerton and La Mirada by agreeing to fund some public projects. La Mirada is receiving $1.3 million in affordable housing fees, funding for a pair of 2 million-gallon reservoirs and improvements to the Beach Boulevard property adjacent to the community. Fullerton is getting a fire station, with funding from Chevron and Anaheim-based SunCal Cos., which is developing the nearby Amerige Heights project in Fullerton. The city also is getting a fire truck, upgrades to Beach Boulevard and a 3 million-gallon reservoir and pump station that will provide water to the west side of the city.
Another selling point: half of the land is being set aside as open space.
“You generally would see half that in a residential development,” said Melanie Mullis, project manager in the Fullerton planning department. “Much of the area is in the central valley area. It’s unbuildable, with very steep slopes. Instead of moving dirt around, this project is working more with the natural environment, going up into the hills and not just creating a flat pad.”
Hawks Pointe is making available hiking, biking and equestrian land that previously was closed to the public, with approximately one-third of the land accessible for public use. Plans call for a 4-acre community park, two neighborhood parks and a 1.84-acre forested entrance along Beach Boulevard.
During public hearings, some Fullerton residents expressed opposition to the project on environmental concerns. But the city’s Mullis said resident sentiment was 60% in favor of the development.
“Numerous provisions are in place as part of the community plan to safeguard natural habitats (and) provide for revegetation of oil-field damaged impact areas,” said Joanne Rowland, director of marketing for Centex Homes South Coast. The project’s commitment to the environment includes a 42-acre preservation area, enhancement of habitat for the endangered California gnatcatcher and leaving untouched a 14-acre expanse of the White Cliffs, which have been dedicated to Orange County for inclusion in the Ralph B. Clark Regional Park. n
