The Chairman of the nonprofit Citizens for Responsible Development is urging citizens of Cypress and Los Alamitos to respond to an ongoing Environmental Impact Review that he claims will make traffic on Katella Ave. much worse than it is now.
Moreover, according to George Pardon, an EIR comment period that ends April 30 could saddle Cypress with traffic more than 10 percent past what the state contends is the “threshold of significance.”
Pardon is sounding the alarm this week about changes imposed by Measure S, though approved by voters, that could increase traffic on Katella Ave.
As proposed by the city of Cypress and approved by voters two years ago, Measure S allows a single Environmental Review on the more than 100 developable acres that make up the “Los Alamitos Racetrack property.”
In recent times, a hotel, apartment complex, a series of commercial stores, and one residential unit of 100 homes have been added to the racetrack property, all of which contribute to the Katella Ave. traffic volume.
However, with developers in escrow for another small tract of acreage across from the entrance (where the 7th Day Adventist church stands today), the Environmental Review being currently conducted will be applicable to the remaining 80+ acres, said Pardon, because of Measure S.
While the current development will only add about 100 new homes, Pardon estimated, the approval of the EIR could eventually give the city the right to develop nearly 2,000 homes on the site.
“I think the residents of Cypress and Los Al will be very unhappy with the traffic if that is allowed to happen,” said Pardon.
Even the EIR predicts serious traffic problems with full residential development on the site, said Pardon.
“This thick EIR states that Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in the proposed project are projected to be 11.6% over the significance threshold. Even with proposed mitigations, VMT would be 10.4% over the significance threshold,” he said.
According to traffic planners and the state’s Environmental Quality Act, a “threshold of significance” is the point where any measured metric “would have a significant impact.”
“This VMT is higher per capita than the County’s residential VMT,” he said.
“Unfortunately, this EIR traffic information was not provided to residents before we were asked to approve Measure S,” said Pardon.
When he asked about a public meeting, Pardon said city officials told him the regulations did not require one, so one was never held to discuss the ongoing environmental review.
“This will not only have an impact on Cypress, but I think residents of Los Alamitos should be highly concerned as well,” he said.
The ENE has reached out to the City of Cypress but has not yet received a response.
Under the EIR, the city has several choices:
- No project at all
- Retain the Racetrack grandstands for historical reasons and reduce overall housing.
- Reduce residential units by 30 percent.
- Once the review is complete, the Cypress City Council will have the final choice.While the EIR indicates the proposed project’s VMT impact would be significant, the EIR also says it is unavoidable if the entire site is built out.
- Pardon said there is a choice that would make it more manageable. The one alternative that would reduce the number of units by 30% from more than 1900 units to 1,253 units,” he explained, would ironically “be significantly closer to the scope previously approved by residents, prior to Measure S, which was 1,250 residences,” he said.
- “I would hope that residents speak out now by commenting on the EIR before April 30 and to make sure and copy their responses to their City Council members,” said Pardon.
- “It’s also unfortunate that the city has not held a community meeting to discuss the impacts of this proposed project. The options provided have been to review the EIR online or to go to City Hall to review the hard copy,” he said.
- “If the City Council approves the reduced scope in the EIR, the State will likely require the units to be zoned somewhere else. There is no reason why the only alternative needs to be Lincoln Avenue as proposed in Measure S.
- In fact, Pardon said the housing element and other strategies were partly developed during the pandemic and now deserve a second look because conditions have changed.
- In addition, he said while city officials are not interested in rezoning some of the commercial sites to residential, Yamaha’s site would make a wonderful Town Center site, with businesses already in place.
- While voters approved of the Town Center project for the Racetrack property, what has transpired is, he thinks, not what the voters approved.
- And, he said, since the pandemic, commercial real estate has struggled to fully regain pre-pandemic levels of occupancy. Over time, the Cypress business park has lost Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mitsubishi, Yamaha, and other major companies, with more to potentially follow as part of an ongoing exodus from the state, he suggested.
- “That’s why I believe that one of the reasons that you know, the city hasn’t been all that strong on getting rezoning of some of that property where, like Yamaha is or Mary Kay was, because they know that the value of residential property is substantially greater than commercial property,” said Pardon.
- “I think that had they done an overlay that would have zoned some of that property along the Katella corridor for residential, I think Cypress Business Park would have seen a quicker exit than it’s already seen,” said Pardon.
- “If residents don’t respond soon, they won’t like it if more than 1900 units are built in this part of town,” he said.
The EIR indicates that any comments should be submitted to Alicia Velasco, Planning Director. - Velasco responded to ENE to say the comment period does end April 30 and that “the City Council will consider the Certification of the EIR at a public meeting on a future date.”
- She can be reached at avelasco@cypressca.org.
Editor’s note: This story has been edited since the print edition to add Ms. Velasco’s comments.