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Residents urge city to revisit Orange Heights approvals, citing wildfire and environmental risks
Summary
Dozens of residents told the City Council that the Irvine Company’s Orange Heights proposal — referenced by speakers as roughly 1,100–1,180 homes — poses wildfire evacuation, traffic, insurance and habitat threats and asked the city to check permit expirations and require a supplemental EIR under newer state wildfire rules.
Dozens of Orange residents used the public-comment period on Jan. 28 to urge the City Council to re-examine approvals for the Irvine Company’s Orange Heights (East Orange) project, arguing the site is in a high fire-hazard area and that the environmental review is outdated.
“Has the city of Orange not updated their building codes in 20 years?” asked Tracy (public commenter), describing an evacuation during the 2017 Canyon 2 fire and saying, “It took us almost 50 minutes to go just a few miles.” Multiple speakers said the project proposes roughly 1,100–1,180 homes on hills that have burned in previous wildfires.
Speakers including Leslie Manderscheid, Rosanna Fernandez and Shari Dalal highlighted several recurring concerns: limited evacuation routes and roadway capacity; a high percentage of elderly residents in nearby neighborhoods; potentially expired permits or an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that pre-dates new wildfire and species protections; and possible effects on wildlife corridors.
“I walked Peters Canyon with my husband for 40 years,” said Rosanna Fernandez, citing habitat loss and urging the council to “save it.” Conservation and wildlife specialists told the council they fear impacts to pollinators and threatened species and asked the city to require updated analyses under current laws.
Several speakers asked the council to check whether any project permits have expired and to require a supplemental EIR if so. No council action on the project was taken at the meeting; multiple members acknowledged the public concern and noted statutory limits on the city’s discretion when prior environmental approvals remain valid.
Council members and staff responses during the meeting focused on process: speakers were told that the city can review permits and that state agencies or updated regulations could trigger a supplemental environmental review. No staff report or formal direction to halt the project was recorded in the meeting minutes.
What happens next: Residents asked the council to investigate permit status and to consider requiring a supplemental EIR; the council did not schedule a vote or direct immediate action on Orange Heights at the Jan. 28 meeting.
