At an October public meeting concerning the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for Stonefield, a proposed gated 28-unit executive housng tract slated to go in north of Carbon Canyon Road and east of Fairway Drive in the Chino Hills section of Carbon Canyon, it was stated that there might be a Planning Commission hearing on the project in mid-December. A glance at the calendar of public meetings from the Chino Hills city web site, however, does not show any such meetings nor does the posted information about Stonefield have anything yet.
So, we can assume that there won't be any further action about the project by the Commission until the New Year. Just because, though, the project only has 28 houses is no reason to be unconcerned about its impacts. The DEIR very clearly states that there is no mitigation for this project when it comes to unavoidable, signficant and adverse impacts such as aesthetics. And, as has been stated before enough times (at least here!) the addition of any more traffic, pollution and, in the light of the recent fires, more structures that will need to be evacuated and protected in the event of a major wildfire, is an undesirable outcome for an already overburned canyon area.
A house or two (maybe three!) here and there in the canyon is one thing, but the prospect of 367 homes, the economy providing, someday springing up in Carbon Canyon is only really a pleasing one for developers. Keep your eyes and ears open!
The above photo shows the project site from the top of the S-curve on Carbon Canyon Road looking west, shortly after a fire from a power pole surge burned the area in May 2008. The aesthetics issue is because some of the proposed houses would actually be above the grade of Carbon Canyon Road and the general appearance of the project would conflict with the surroundings. Exchanging the fire-scarred landscape with a restored natural one, imagine what the view would be like with houses clustered here!
No comments:
Post a Comment