Residents shout fire at Paradise Ranch proposal

It is located on Canyon Hills Road, with Hillcrest Homes located directly south of the project and Oak Tree Downs surrounding the project on the north and east sides.

Residents of Hillcrest Homes and Oak Tree Downs said an evacuation could turn deadly with hundreds of vehicles exiting Canyon Hills Road to reach Carbon Canyon Road.

They reminded the commission about the 1990, 2008 and 2020 wildfires.

Residents in all three neighborhoods, including Paradise Ranch, will be using Canyon Hills Road to get in and out of their homes.

Eighteen speakers urged the commission to either redesign, reconsider, or reject the project, but the final verdict was 4-0 in support. By the time the three-hour meeting ended, it was 12:03 a.m. and tired residents left the council chambers quietly.

“It’s horrible,” said resident John Rico after the meeting. “They are approving a fire pit right next to our homes.”

He added, “We had to listen to this bull---- for three hours while they stalled.”

Chairman Mike Stover, obviously struggling with a decision, spent a good portion of time trying to find a way he could legally vote against the project but conceded after hearing from assistant city attorney Elizabeth Calciano and the interim community development director.

“I hear the concerns of the public but I have not seen evidence submitted that the studies and analysis are incorrect,” Ms. Calciano said. “I think it would be difficult for the commission to deny the project.”

More than 2,700 pages of documents including the environmental impact report and technical studies accompanied the site plan with a fire protection plan, fuel modification plan, impact on the water and sewer system, traffic impact analysis, tree report and replacement plan, geology and soils reports, and biological studies.

Mr. Stover submitted 12 questions to staff prior to the meeting, with four of them on fire protection issues, and received written responses. The questions and answers were included in the public record.

“I feel supporting this project is the right thing to do under the law, but I do confess our action tonight will make people feel less safe and that is something I never want to do,” Mr. Stover said.

Commissioner Peter Pirritano recused himself from the hearing stating he had a conflict of interest because one of his insurance clients, a homeowners’ association, is adjacent to the Paradise Ranch.

Danielle O’Toole, fire marshal for the Chino Valley Fire District, told the commission that many more laws and regulations have been put into place since 2007 to make new developments more fire safe.

The development will be required to abide by all current fire codes, she said.

“My job is to make sure the project meets the fire safety regulations,” Ms. O’Toole said. “That’s what our conditions of approval are based on.”

Gordon Jones, regional vice president of True Life Companies, said during the five years of work on the project, it has been changed numerous times as concerns were studied. “The environmental document and technical studies determined that we did not have impacts that would prevent this project from going forward,” he said. “The laws have changed for five years and we adapted along the way.”

Natural land

Construction for the model homes will begin in two years, and the development will be completed in another two years, Mr. Jones said.

The $1.7 to $2 million two-story homes will be “clustered” or concentrated on 14 acres on the eastern portion of the 85-acres site, closest to Canyon Hills Road. Approximately 50 acres will remain hillside slopes.

The plan calls for the removal of 181 trees that will be replaced by 925 trees to be planted on the hillsides. They range in size from from 24-inch box to 48-inch box as well as smaller-size containers.

The site contains more than 1,200 trees including black walnut scrub oak, live oak, and sycamore.

“We feel the tree preservation plan is well in excess of what is required in the ordinance,” Mr. Jones said. “We know how important these trees are to the community.”

Planning Manager Michael Hofflinger said newly planted trees typically take 10 to 15 years to reach full maturity and canopy size.

Mr. Jones said the hillside and ridgelines will remain in their natural state into perpetuity, as will the 50 acres of open space.

In response to concerns about the need for a traffic signal, Mr. Hofflinger said he received new information before the meeting that the signal at Carbon Canyon Road and Canyon Hills Road will be added to the fiscal year 2024-25 budget.

The applicant will be required to pay $56,700 as its fair share toward the signal.

Trip generation will be 38 trips in the morning peak hours, and 50 trips in the afternoon peak hour, according to the traffic impact analysis.

‘Narrow little road’

One resident said 250 people live at Hillcrest, 250 at Oak Tree downs, and another 100 at the Paradise Ranch, which will lead to “600 people trying to exit Canyon Hills Road at the same time thousands of vehicles are on Carbon Canyon Road.”

“To me it’s the most dangerous road in the city, so why make a situation more dangerous,” asked a resident.

“Virtually all of us live in a fire zone and we accepted that when we moved here, just like you accepted Carbon Canyon Road,” Commissioner Sheran Voigt said to the audience. “It’s exactly the same road, a narrow little road.”

In response to water availability questions, Mr. Hofflinger said water will be supplied from an existing 8-inch water main that runs along Canyon Hills Road. New infrastructure and connections would be installed under permit and through coordination with the city’s Public Works Department to ensure proper sizing and siting and to prevent service disruption to existing customers, according to the environmental impact report.

The ranch is owned by Gentile Family Living Trust.

A family member intends to reside in an existing house on the property surrounded by 16 acres.

Paradise Ranch may be reviewed

Paradise Ranch will appear on the agenda for Tuesday’s city council meeting under “planning commission matters.”

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 9 in Chino Hills Council Chambers, 14000 City Center Drive.

At least two members of the city council are needed to request a review of the project. If the council agrees, the matter will be presented for review at a future council meeting date.