‘A Road to Nowhere’: Should Private Developers be Gifted Public Roads?

Should a backstage developer beryllium fixed the close to privatize a publically owned exigency entree ungraded roadworthy if helium pays to pave the street?

That’s the statement presently playing retired astatine the Yorba Linda Water District – which provides h2o and sewer services to astir of Yorba Linda and parts of Placentia, Brea, Anaheim and unincorporated Orange County.

The treatment surrounds a connection by Nick Diaz, a nonmigratory that lives adjacent the road  and a wide manager for a existent property and concern institution that a territory unit study identifies arsenic a task developer, who is offering to wage to marque improvements and pave an entree roadworthy restricted to exigency usage and owned by the Yorba Linda Water District adjacent Highland Reservoir.

Manuel Roman, a retired doc who lives adjacent the road, and a mates different residents are publically raising concerns astir the connection and granting a imaginable easement to Diaz. 

Roman argues that paving the thoroughfare is unnecessary, calling it “a roadworthy to nowhere,” that it

could make liability for the district, has outgo the territory implicit $100,000 of payer dollars already and raised concerns astir the process to get nationalist input.

“They’re pursuing the paving of this roadworthy that is truly conscionable for exigency access, and has been rural,” helium said during a telephone interview.

“They’re allowing the developer to wage for the paving connected this road, and past he’s capable to usage it arsenic his driveway, truthful that helium does not person to usage his ain onshore for driveway purposes.”

During a nationalist gathering past week, Roman said that to debar liability arsenic the “deep pocket” party, the territory should merchantability the roadworthy to Diaz astatine just marketplace worth and person him assistance them an easement to entree the road.

A 100-year aged ungraded roadworthy successful Yorba Linda, Calif. adjacent the Highland Avenue Reservoir connected November 14, 2024. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC

Diaz – who did not instrumentality an email seeking remark for this communicative – said astatine the Nov. 14 h2o committee gathering that helium is trying to beryllium a bully neighbour and that the roadworthy is uneven and idiosyncratic could get hurt.

He besides said that helium would instrumentality the liability.

“I volition bash everything successful my powerfulness to marque it kosher,” Diaz said. “I conscionable privation a roadworthy to beryllium capable to thrust successful and retired without having to lavation my car each azygous time due to the fact that it’s dirt, that’s what it is.”

Roman is not unsocial successful his concerns.

John Hansen, President of the Yorba Linda Taxpayer Association, said astatine the gathering the magnitude of wealth spent connected the connection truthful acold doesn’t payment taxpayers and agreed it would summation liability for the territory if cars drove done the roadworthy and an mishap occurred.

“Why person we paid $110,000 for truly a favored project?” Hansen said. “If vehicles commencement going successful there, you are going to summation the district’s liability.”

According to a unit report, the territory has spent adjacent to $60,000 conscionable connected a advisor for enactment related to the betterment task arsenic of Sept. 3.

Gene Hernandez, a Yorba Linda Water District committee director, said astatine the gathering that improving the roadworthy is simply a substance of information and the task would see gathering a retaining wall.

“The involvement of the h2o territory is that we person a slope that has the imaginable to flood crossed that roadworthy that does flood if we don’t enactment up a retaining partition and bash immoderate additions to that,” helium said. “That’s the nationalist interest.”

He added the thoroughfare is not for vehicles to thrust done and the territory is not giving distant ownership of property.

Gene Hernandez, Yorba Linda Water Board Director, astatine the regular gathering connected November 14, 2024. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC

District unit said the roadworthy would lone beryllium unfastened to pedestrians and equestion – thing that would beryllium laid retired successful a developer statement and voted concurrently connected with a imaginable easement.

Rosanne Weston, the district’s technologist manager, said astatine the gathering that the presumption and conditions for the developer statement with Diaz astir making improvements to a conception of the entree roadworthy – Highland Avenue – would apt travel earlier the committee successful January.

“We’ve ne'er had a task similar this before,” she said. “We’ve done immoderate research, and it’s conscionable going to instrumentality a small spot to enactment that together.”

Joanna Gonzalez, a spokeswoman for the district, said successful an emailed connection that the stock of costs for the task on with who would beryllium liable for attraction of the roadworthy would beryllium laid retired successful the presumption and conditions.

Board Director Tom Lindsay said Diaz’s spot cuts into the thoroughfare successful question.

“It’s not an casual issue,” helium said. “It hasn’t been straightforward.”

Brett Barbre, a Yorba Linda Water District committee Director said successful a telephone interrogation past week the territory has an involvement successful maintaining their facilities including the street.

“A neighbour who jointly owns parts of the roadworthy with us, has asked america if helium could pave the roadworthy due to the fact that it’s not truly a good maintained roadworthy arsenic it is, and he’s consenting to wage the wealth to pave the road, and that’s a bully concern for the district.” helium said.

Barbre formerly served arsenic the district’s wide manager earlier resigning successful 2022.

The remainder of the committee members did not reply emailed questions astir the project.

It was besides announced astatine the Thursday gathering that Board Director Phil Hawkins had resigned.

A Paved Road, a Soccer Field and Lights

Roman is besides raising concerns that Barbre is going to bat for the developer’s interests implicit that of h2o territory customers, arguing that the Barbre was advocating for replacing a h2o main aboriginal nether wherever the paved roadworthy would beryllium contempt pushback from staff.

Brett R. Barbre, Yorba Linda Water Board Director, astatine the regular gathering connected November 14, 2024. Credit: FASHION CASTILLO, Voice of OC

Barbre said helium didn’t propulsion replacing the main aboriginal aft unit said it wasn’t necessary.

He besides said Roman is upset with his neighbour implicit a abstracted contented that does not interest the h2o territory and is trying to resistance them into the dispute.

“This is an contented that the territory is moving connected with a nonmigratory who wants to amended the road,” Barbre said successful a telephone call. “He has an contented with a conditional usage licence that volition beryllium sought astatine the City of Yorba Linda. We person nary relation successful that.”

Roman said successful the telephone telephone that helium and different neighbors are besides trying to forestall Diaz from installing 16, 22,000-Lumen Lights connected 18 feet poles to illuminate a shot tract successful the area.

Hansen said astatine Thursday’s gathering that the beingness of the shot tract would effect successful Diaz’s guests utilizing the paved road.

“When you’re putting successful a afloat size shot tract that is intended for shot practices with lights, I deliberation you are going to person vehicles driving down that roadworthy beyond conscionable ft postulation and equestrians,” helium said.

Diaz said helium hasn’t practiced connected the shot tract successful years and wants to adhd the lights truthful his kids tin play successful the backyard during daylight savings time.

He besides said helium would person radical connected his property.

“Yes, I mightiness person radical over, and radical are going to person amusive and spell astir my property,” helium said. “And the past happening I privation is headaches for anybody.”

Hosam Elattar is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine helattar@voiceofoc.org oregon connected Twitter @ElattarHosam.

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