From drilling to dwellings: Housing plans for Brea’s last big oil field move forward

After more than 100 years of oil production, the soft, droning swish and rhythmic bobbing of horse heads in eastern Brea could be replaced in coming years by the clatter of earth movers and builders, and then by the sounds of children playing and cars driving to and from new neighborhoods.

The change is still several years away, but the 1,100-home development proposal known as Brea 265 is set to move forward in January, when the environmental review process kicks off with a public meeting.

Aera Energy, an oil and natural gas producer that’s a subsidiary of Shell, owns the land – 265 acres just west of Carbon Canyon Regional Park – and is shepherding the home project through the approval process. Most of the property is actually county land, but is surrounded by the city and will be annexed into Brea in the next few years, Aera Vice President George Basye said.

The project site and other nearby parcels that have since been developed were first used for oil production in the 1880s, and Aera’s parent company has operated wells there since the 1920s, Basye said. But, more and more wells have been capped as their yield has decreased and open land has become more scarce.

“It’s been producing for over 100 years and there’s only so much to get,” Basye said.

Aera and its partners on the project are still working out all the details, but will request zoning to allow up to 1,100 homes on the 265 acres. New walking trails through the development would connect to an existing network that snakes across the city and into recreational areas.

After the environmental review is done and the project approved, nearly 200 active wells that pump about 450 barrels of oil a day would be taken out of production and any necessary environmental cleanup would take place. Development would likely start on the southern portion of the land, where a lease now allows the Original Manassero Farms to grow and sell strawberries and other produce, Basye said.

The second phase is planned north of Brea Sports Park, and a final portion on hilly property that overlooks the regional park would come after that. The overall development is expected to include what Basye described as multi-generational options: homes at various sizes and price points that could accommodate younger working people, growing families and those looking for an estate-sized property with a view.

Aera plans to partner with the Brea Chamber of Commerce and area employers to discuss how to make the new homes accessible to people who work for Bank of America, Suzuki, aerospace companies and other businesses in town.

While fewer than 44,000 people live in Brea, the city’s daytime population swells to an estimated 120,000 as people commute there to work, according to the city website.

Brea chamber CEO Heidi Gallegos said officials hope to create an incentive program, whether through state tax credits or some other means, that employers could use to encourage workers to live locally. Homes that offer a short commute or perhaps ride-sharing or biking to work are expected to fit future demand, she said.

“If you look at millennials and generations that are coming up after them, they are more environmentally aware,” Gallegos said. “They like to live, work and play in the same community.”

City plans have predicted for years the land would be used for housing, but development proposals are still often met with traffic and environmental concerns.

Claire Schlotterbeck, whose nonprofit Hills for Everyone successfully blocked a 162-home development in Carbon Canyon in 2015, said the group hasn’t taken a position on Brea 265, but will be watching closely to ensure the project offsets any impact to wildlife habitat and that it follows city rules limiting hillside development.

Some residents will be upset to see the strawberry fields and Peltzer Pines tree farm make way for homes, and the development’s connections to existing walking trails could put additional strain on Chino Hills State Park, which is a few miles east, Schlotterbeck said.

But she liked the idea of people who now commute being able to live in town, perhaps just miles from work.

“This is the last really big piece in Brea that’s available” for development, Schlotterbeck said.

“If you want to save the hills, then you’re going to have to put housing elsewhere – and this is that kind of ‘elsewhere,’ but you have to do it carefully.”

If you go

Brea officials will hold a public meeting on plans to develop up to 1,100 homes next to Carbon Canyon Regional Park. The meeting is a time to raise questions and issues to be explored in an environmental report on the project, called Brea 265.

When: 5 p.m. Jan. 16

Where: Brea City Hall, Room B, 1 Civic Center Circle

Information: The city will accept written comments through Jan. 23. Visit www.cityofbrea/projectinprocess for details.