BREA : City OKs Olen Pointe After Long Haggling

After years of haggling, the City Council has finally approved the expansive Olen Pointe commercial development.

In a 3-1 decision reached last week, the council agreed to a scaled-down version of the original project which was initially presented more than five years ago. Councilman Ron Isles did not participate in the discussion because he has a business relationship with the developers.

After the council failed to approve the project at a recent meeting, the developers, Olen Properties Corp., and city staff went back to the drawing board. They compromised on several issues including reducing two of the office buildings to five stories and decreasing the square footage of other buildings.

To offset the effects of noise on homes on Associated Road, Olen was also required to provide a sound wall and additional landscaping.

However, even with the changes, Councilman Glenn G. Parker said he was still not satisfied. “I don’t feel my major concerns have been addressed completely,” Parker said before voting against the proposal. “I have a real problem with adding any more traffic to an already bad road.”

Resident Jim McDowell was the only member of the community to speak against the project. “I am not pleased with the height of the buildings being proposed,” McDowell told the council.

The project created a furor in the community for several years because of its density. Olen had originally proposed constructing two six-story office buildings, a four-story office building, two free-standing restaurants and retail space. The complex, to be built on Lambert Road, would also include a four-level parking structure.

Residents of the Country Hills development across the street from the site complained that it would lower their property values and destroy the residential character of their neighborhood.

The Brea-Olinda School District was also concerned that it would increase traffic on Wildcat Way, the main route to Brea-Olinda High School. Speaking on behalf of the board, Trustee Leonard MacKain said it was a “safety issue.” “We as a board are more concerned about Wildcat Way where students, faculty and parents travel every day on their way to school.”

To ease the traffic concerns, the council required that the road be restriped to include a left turn lane into the Olen project.

The project is expected to get under way within the next few months, officials said.