After decades of development proposals, community debate and litigation, Orange city leaders
are taking steps to eventually turn about 70 acres of a former quarry into permanent public open space.
The public open space could eventually include trails, equestrian uses, habitat restoration, environmental education and other recreation features, although plans for how the property will be used have not yet been finalized.
The site in the eastern part of town is known as the Sully-Miller property and has been hotly contested over the past several decades.
Council members have approved agreements that allow a developer to acquire and prepare the property before eventually transferring it to Orange.
There’s no costs projected for the city at this time, according to the agreements.
Residents have been asking questions for years about what should ultimately happen to the former quarry and whether the property should be developed or preserved as an open space.
“Something constructive needs to be done with the property,” Orange resident Reggie Mundekis wrote in an email to Voice of OC.
“The choices are the dump, housing, a park, or something else. The dump and housing have been rejected. A park is a good way to deal with a property which will flood and has little use for something else.”
The approximately 68-acre property on Santiago Canyon Road was used for mining from 1919 to 1995. Since then, the property has been the subject of multiple failed housing proposals.
The city council’s approval does not mean the city owns the former quarry yet. Under the agreements, the developer Landify would acquire the property and own it until the required work is completed.
Before the property can eventually become public open space, environmental issues on the site will also need to be addressed.
“I would not characterize the entire property as a ‘toxic site,’” City Manager Jarad Hildenbrand wrote in an email to Voice of OC. “Environmental testing has, however, identified specific areas that require additional work.”
The Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board has identified arsenic in portions of several soil stockpiles on the property, according to Hildenbrand. The current property owner, Milan, is required to remove the material and conduct additional testing afterward.
Following that, Landify plans to acquire the property and complete grading and site preparation before it is eventually transferred to the city.
“In simple terms, Landify is not proposing to simply cover the existing stockpiles,” Hildenbrand wrote.
“Its current engineering concept includes cutting back and reconstructing portions of the existing stockpile slopes, constructing engineered support berms, removing loose or unsuitable material where necessary, and placing new engineered fill and a compacted final cover.”
The proposed work still needs regulatory review, and Landify’s responsibilities are separate from the city’s eventual plans for the land.
“Future habitat restoration, trails, equestrian facilities or other public amenities would be considered separately by the City after conveyance,” Hildenbrand wrote.
Years of Questions
The future of the old quarry site has been in fluctuation for years.
Orange voters most recently rejected plans to build 128 single-family homes on the site during the November 2020 election.
The latest plans mark a new shift toward preserving the land as public open space.
However, exactly what that open space could look like has yet to be determined.
“There are a number of possibilities to evaluate over time, including trails, equestrian uses, habitat restoration, environmental education, passive recreation, scenic resources, etcetera,” Hildenbrand said at the Aug. 25 meeting.
“For decades, this property has been subject to development proposals, community debate, referenda and litigation,” Hildenbrand said during the August council meeting. “Tonight, we have an opportunity to begin writing a very different ending, one centered on restoration, preservation and ultimately, public permanent open space.”
“Instead of continuing the decades-long debate over development of this property, we now have an opportunity to move forward with the restoration, preservation and public ownership,” he added.
The city also does not yet know how much converting the property into public open space will ultimately cost because future improvements have not been designed yet.
Under the agreements between Orange and the developer, however, the city would not purchase the 67.7-acre property or fund Landify’s acquisition, grading or site preparation.
Once the property is transferred to Orange, the city would become responsible for its long-term maintenance and any future improvements would be approved by the city council.
Hildenbrand also said the city plans to seek other sources of funding to help pay for those future responsibilities.
“We also anticipate aggressively pursuing outside funding rather than relying exclusively on the City’s General Fund,” Hildenbrand wrote in an email to Voice of OC. “Potential sources could include state and federal grants, habitat and open-space funding programs, brownfield-related programs, partnerships with other public or nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic contributions.
“The City is already evaluating potential grant, technical-assistance, partnership and brownfield opportunities,” he wrote.
A Future Park in Sight?
Orange city officials say there’s currently no timeframe for the future open space, pointing to several hurdles the city and developer have to clear.
“Several significant steps still need to occur,” Hildenbrand wrote. “The remaining environmental requirements must be addressed, the regulatory agencies must complete their respective reviews, Landify must acquire the property, the necessary IDEFO and grading approvals must be obtained, the required work must be completed, and the conditions for conveyance to the City must be satisfied.”
“For those reasons, this should be viewed as a multi-year process,” he added.
At the Aug. 25 meeting, Landify representatives also discussed the company’s role in preparing the property.
“We are an environmental company at our core, and we are a community-centered company at our core,” said Steve Brown, representative for Landify.
While several residents supported the effort to turn the former quarry into public open space, others questioned whether the city should approve the agreements.
“Signing this agreement tonight might be a little premature in its own terms, financially, legally, and procedurally,” Orange resident Laurel Maldonado said.
Maldonado also questioned what happens if Landify walks away from the project.
“I’m not asking you to abandon this, I’m not saying that I don’t support it, but I’m asking you to wait until the ground under it is actually solid,” Maldonado added.
Other residents urged city council members to move forward with the plan.
“I want a passive park with trails, native plant restoration, and interpretive materials to help people learn about nature,” Mundekis wrote in an email to Voice of OC. “I want kids to have field trips here. I want the trails to be accessible to seniors and people with mobility issues to allow them to get into a natural setting.”
A local park advocacy group also voiced their support for moving forward with the agreements.
“This effort by the many entities involved is a remarkable opportunity to fulfill many things: advancing the city of Orange general plan long-term open space vision, serving future generations, creating a lasting public benefit and adding significant value to the rural character of the surrounding area,” Orange Park Association President Sherry Panttaja said at the Aug. 25 council meeting.
Councilmember Jon Dumitru said he hopes the project could also help bring together a community that has spent decades debating the property’s future.
“This has been a battle, multi-decades, in order to create the visions that were foreseen by many before us, many in the community that have come and gone,” Dumitru said.
“As it progresses and develops into either the open space, the park space, whatever ends up happening towards the benefit of the community, we can come back together as a community in that area specifically and start to heal and become family again,” he added.
Mayor Dan Slater described the agreements as the beginning of a longer process.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,” Slater said.
“Tonight is an important step to continue and start that journey, so I think we’re going to get there, but we’ll all have to continue to work together, with the community of course, and I think that we can make this happen for Orange.”
The Collegiate News Service is a partnership between Voice of OC and local student journalists. Contact the Collegiate News Service Editor Angelina Hicks at ahicks@voiceofoc.org
