Measure W: West Coyote Hills

By Jan M. Flory

Measure W will be decided by Fullerton voters on Nov. 6th; thus, taking the matter out of the hands of city council.

Measure W will be decided by Fullerton voters in the November 6th election. For this reason, it is largely out of the hands of the city council. That said, many voters are concerned about the issue and want to know what position the council candidates have on this matter. I do support Measure W. The West Coyote Hills is an area of 510 acres on the west side of Euclid on the northern boundary of the city. The property is owned by Chevron. If Measure W passes, Chevron will have the right to develop one-third of the property and build 760 homes over the next 20 years. Two-thirds of the property will be left as open space with protected ridge lines and 10 miles of hiking trails. This property will complement the 72-acre Ward Nature Preserve (named in honor of Bob Ward) currently owned by the city.

For the past 20 years, I have been thoroughly schooled about the property by those who I believe are the "greenest" people in Fullerton including Chris Heusser, Molly McClanahan, Tom and Katie Dalton, Miriam Sheddon and E.J. Borah, to name a few. Bob Ward himself educated me about the project when I was first elected to the council in 1994. He spent a couple of hours with me explaining that Chevron could potentially build 1,500+ homes, but through years of negotiation, that number was nearly halved. In addition, the ridge lines were to be protected and Chevron was committed to the maintenance of trails and the Nature Preserve for decades. It is estimated that the Developer Agreement approved by the council will yield approximately $30 million in benefits to the city over time.

There is also the constitutionally protected issue of property rights which I strongly support. To date, no group or foundation has stepped forward in the past 12 years with a meaningful offer to purchase the property from Chevron.

The election will largely take the issue of the Chevron development out of the hands of the city council. If Measure W passes, The Development Agreement previously passed by the city council will be approved, and Chevron will have the right to develop the property. Chevron will also be obligated to provide the benefits to the city included in the Agreement.

If Measure W fails, Chevron will likely proceed with a lawsuit that was previously filed; however, that lawsuit is on hold pending the election. Alternatively, Chevron could come up with a different development plan. That remains to be seen. Either way, Measure W has taken the issue out of the hands of the council.