YORBA LINDA : Gnatcatcher Habitat Part of Housing Plan

The Planning Commission on Wednesday is expected to approve preliminary plans for an 879-acre development on the city’s northern border.

The development would include more than 2,300 houses, a public golf course, an elementary school and several parks. But before any residents move into the area, the Shell Oil Co. and the city must satisfy federal regulations protecting the current residents: the gnatcatchers.

Although most of the property is active oil fields, two small but significant portions contain natural areas that include coastal sage scrub, home to the gnatcatcher. The gnatcatcher is listed as a threatened species by the Interior Department, which protects habitat where the birds are known to live.

City officials are confident the Shell plan, which has taken three years to create, will win approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop the property.

The key to winning approval is Shell’s agreement to maintain the two natural areas as refuges for the birds and other animals, and an agreement to sell to the state at a reduced price a 960-acre parcel adjacent to both the project area and nearby Carbon Canyon and Chino Hills State Park.

The sale area is of regional significance, Shell and city officials said, because it is a critical link in habitat systems for the gnatcatcher and other animals in northern Orange County and eastern Los Angeles County.

“The Habitat Conservation Plan that Shell has developed is unique because it doesn’t just look at individual species but rather the whole ecosystem or habitat,” said Patricia Haley, community development director. “The coastal sage scrub is an extremely rich ecosystem for a host of plants and animals.”

If the conservation plan is approved, Shell will have cleared a significant hurdle in moving the project forward, but there are still several steps left in the process.

If the Planning Commission approves the plan that outlines such issues as housing density, development standards and location of streets and sewers, the city will begin the process of getting development agreements with Shell. These agreement will define which amenities, such as parks and the golf course, Shell will provide.

After agreements are in place, the City Council will vote on the project. If the council approves the project, the city will seek approval of annexation from the Local Agency FormationCommission. Once annexation is approved, Shell can begin the first phase of the project, building the golf course.