Anaheim Hills 498-unit apartment development seeking approval this fall

A 498-unit apartment complex in Anaheim Hills discussed for the last couple of years is about ready to seek approvals from the city, which would turn an undeveloped wilderness area into homes.

Dubbed the SALT Development Hill Preserve Project, the Salt Lake City-based company hopes to build on half of a privately owned 76-acre site in Anaheim’s Deer Canyon, with deed restrictions that would keep the other half undeveloped open space.

The development has been in the planning for years and is looking to start asking for the necessary approvals from the Planning Commission and the City Council this fall. Residents in the surrounding Anaheim Hills area are asking local leaders not to allow the project to move forward, raising concerns about traffic in the area worsening, especially during wildfires.

The main seven-story building proposed would be home to 498 apartments that would rent from the mid-$2,400 to $16,000 a month. An additional six single-family homes would be built along with some retail space, and a parking garage.

The apartments, located near the 91 Freeway off of Santa Ana Canyon Road, would have amenities such as a rooftop pool, bowling alley, gym, locker room and lounge areas. The site is on the other side of a hill from the Anaheim Hills Festival shopping mall.

The apartment complex wouldn’t be built at the top of the ridgeline in Deer Canyon, but instead would be tucked into the northwest corner to lessen the number of homes in the area that would have a view of the building, Brian Hobbs, president and co-founder of SALT Development, said at a Planning Commission workshop Monday, July 15, discussing the project.

The project’s draft environmental impact report is under review. Public hearings over the project are tentatively scheduled for fall.

Anaheim Hills residents have organized in opposition to the apartments, arguing that adding that many new residents would put more cars in an area already congested and make evacuations take longer during wildfires. There is also wildlife living in the area that would be impacted, some said.

SALT Development is promising to improve access to the nearby 103-acre Deer Canyon Park Preserve, public wildlands that are home to hiking and horseback riding trails, by expanding a nearby road and trails.

This part of Anaheim has been designated as a very high fire hazard severity zone by Cal Fire. An environmental impact report done for the proposal says wildfire evacuation during the worst-case scenario would take 210 minutes should the homes be built, compared to 186 minutes if they are not.

Dan Scanlon, an Anaheim Hills resident, said if SALT Development proposed single-family homes, like what’s predominantly in the surrounding area and what the site is currently zoned for, he and other concerned neighbors wouldn’t object to the project.

“We are not against the SALT Development company at all,” Scanlon said. “We just don’t like the particular way they are going to do it.”

Scanlon said longtime residents in the area are cognizant of how long it takes to evacuate during wildfires and see the development as making a stressful situation worse.

“Most of us have either been canceled or are paying an exorbitant amount of money (for home insurance) because insurance companies know this is a very high fire hazard (area),” Scanlon said.

The development will add more than a dozen fire hydrants and keep back vegetation so firefighters would be able to better fight wildfires, Hobbs said.

The public can submit comments on the environmental impact report until Aug. 19; emailed comments may be set to Nick Taylor, principal planner with the city, at NJTaylor@anaheim.net. Check Anaheim.net for more information on the project and where to send written comments.

The developer will hold meetings on Aug. 3, Aug. 19 and Sept. 6 for anyone wishing to tour the site and learn more about the development. People are asked to email info@hillspreserve.com to RSVP for a spot.