EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Applicant, Lennar Homes of California, LLC, has submitted planning entitlements for a project that would demolish an existing 164,908 square foot office building, a three-level parking structure, and surface parking and associated landscape areas, and construct a residential development consisting of 179 single-family units (detached and attached) including landscaping and common open space areas, which would include a private park. The proposed project requires certification/approval of the following: 1) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) No. 2024-01; 2) Vesting Tentative Tract Map (TTM) No. 2024-01; 3) General Plan Amendment (GPA) No. 2024-02; 4) Zone Change (ZC) No. 2024-02; 5) Precise Development (PR) No. 2024-02; and 6) Development Agreement (DA) No. 2024-01.

 

The above-mentioned entitlement herein is referred to as the “Project” or “Greenbriar Residential Development Project.”

RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that the City Council take the following actions:

 

1. Adopt a resolution (Attachment A) certifying a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Environmental Impact Report (EIR), State Clearinghouse No. 2024071235, which analyzed the environmental impacts resulting from construction and operation of the Project, and which was prepared pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15132 (Contents of Final EIR), and CEQA Guidelines Section 15090 (Certification of the Final EIR);
2. Adopt resolutions (Attachment B through D) approving the following entitlements, based on findings and conclusions in the corresponding resolutions, and subject to the recommended conditions of approval (Attachment G):
1. TTM No. 2024-01 (TTM No. 19394), to allow for a subdivision of the Project site for condominium purposes;
2. GPA No. 2024-02, to change the land use designation of the Project site from General Commercial to a Mixed Use II land use designation;
3. PD No. 2024-02, to allow the demolition of an existing 164,908 square foot office building, a three-level parking structure, and surface parking and associated landscape areas, and construction of a residential development consisting of 179 single-family units (detached and attached) including landscaping and common open space areas, which would include a private park;
3. Introduce by title only and waive further reading of ordinances (Attachments E and F) approving the following entitlements, based on findings and conclusions in the corresponding ordinances:
1. ZC No. 2024-02, to change the zoning designation of the Project site from C-G General Commercial Zone with a PD Precise Development Overlay to MU-II Mixed Use II; and
2. DA No. 2024-01, for a contract between the Applicant and the City, defining terms of development proposed by vesting the City’s approval while specifying public benefits and improvements.
4. Schedule adoption of aforementioned ordinances at the next regular City Council meeting.

BACKGROUND

Project Location

The Project site, located at 1698-1700 Greenbriar Lane, is a 9.7-acre property that is situated west of South Associated Road, south of Greenbriar Lane, and north of the Brea Plaza Shopping Center. The Project site is currently developed with a 164,908 square foot office building, a three-level parking structure, and surface parking and associated landscape areas, and was most recently occupied by Mercury Insurance. Vehicle access to the Project site is currently provided by one driveway approach on Greenbriar Lane and an internal access road that connects the Project site to the Brea Plaza Shopping Center along the southern property line. The Project site has a General Plan land use designation of General Commercial and a zoning designation of C-G with a PD Overlay. The Project Vicinity Map with surrounding zoning designations is shown in Figure 1 below.

FIGURE 1 – AERIAL VIEW OF THE PROJECT SITE AND SURROUNDING AREA

 

Entitlement History

• In 1975, the existing 164,908 square foot office building was approved under Precise Development (PD No. 19-75) and Parcel Map (PM No. 3-75) as part of the Brea Plaza Office Park, which included the Project site and the site that is now occupied by the Brea Plaza Shopping Center.
• In 2005, the construction of the three-level parking structure was approved under Conditional Use Permit (CUP No. 05-02), Precise Development (PD No. 05-01), and Mitigated Negative Declaration (ND No. 05-01).
• Private agreement: The Project site and Brea Plaza Shopping Center are currently under an existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) that allows customers of the Brea Plaza Shopping Center to use approximately 180 parking spaces located at the Project site during normal business hours, and all of the surface parking spaces (approximately 500 spaces) after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends. The MOU expires in April 2026, unless voluntarily terminated by both parties sooner.

Project Processing and CEQA Review Timeline

• On March 27, 2024, the Applicant filed the planning applications for the Project, which included aforementioned entitlements.
• On July 31, 2024, the City issued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) informing the public that an EIR was being prepared for the Project and provided information on the planned scoping meeting. The public comment period began on August 1, 2024 and concluded on September 3, 2024.
• On August 21, 2024, the City held a scoping meeting on the Project’s EIR.
• On December 12, 2024, the City issued a Notice of Availability (NOA) to provide the public and agency review of the DEIR. The NOA served as the start of the 45-day comment period for the DEIR, which began on December 13, 2024 and concluded on January 28, 2025.
• On February 25, 2025, the Planning Commission was presented with an introduction to the Project, which provided a detailed overview of the Project. The February 25, 2025 Planning Commission staff report can be found at:  https://weblink.cityofbrea.net/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=188815&dbid=0&repo=BREA-DOCS
• On March 5, 2025, the City released the draft FEIR and response to comments.
• On March 11, 2025, the Planning Commission held a duly noticed public hearing to review the Project. Refer to the Planning Commission Recommendation section of this report for more details.

DISCUSSION

Project Description

The Applicant proposes to demolish an existing 164,908 square foot office building, a three-level parking structure, and surface parking and associated landscape areas, and construct a residential development consisting of 179 for-sale, single-family units (detached and attached), including landscaping and common open space areas, which would include a private park.

Figure 2 below illustrates the proposed Project Layout (Attachment N – Illustrative Site Plan). A summary of the Project components is provided below in Table 1.

FIGURE 2 – PROPOSED PROJECT LAYOUT

TABLE 1 – OVERVIEW OF PROJECT COMPONENTS

Project Component	Description
Site Plan and Circulation	The Project layout includes row of buildings along the northern, eastern, and southern property lines as well as smaller vertical rows of buildings towards the center of the development. The site would be accessed via two new vehicular connections along Greenbriar Lane.
Building Types	The Project would include 67 buildings consisting of three different housing products – The Courts, The Villas, and The Yards
Landscaping and Open Space	The Project would provide 104,785 square feet of ornamental landscaping throughout the site, including both parameter and internal landscaping areas. The proposed landscaping area includes a 8,565 square-foot private park.
Development Standards	The Project complies with a majority of the development standards established for the MU-II zoning district, except three that are not being met, which includes minimum street side setback, minimum rear setback, and minimum parking requirements. The Applicant would either be required to update the Project plans to comply with the applicable development and/or obtain subsequent approval of a MCUP or any other available administrative permit for the requested modification of standards.
Parking	The Project provides a total of 397 parking spaces, of which 342 spaces are enclosed garage spaces and 55 spaces are exterior guest parking spaces. See Development Standards section of this Table for the required action.
Development Agreement	The draft DA is provided as Attachment Q. Through the DA, the Applicant provides options on how the Project would satisfy the City’s affordable housing requirement, which includes an option of providing an off-site affordable housing project that exceeds the City's affordable housing requirement. The DA also provides for the Applicant's funding contribution towards a post-construction study.

 

The detailed Project description can be found in the February 25, 2025 (link provided above) and March 11, 2025 Planning Commission Staff Report, which is Attachment H of this report.

Also, the Technical Background, Vicinity Map, Project Application, Project Description, Illustrative Site Plan, Civil Sheets, and Floor Plans and Elevation are provided as Attachments J through P, respectively.  

ANALYSIS

A summary of the entitlements for the proposed Project, and its consistency/compliance with requirements are included in Table 2 below:

 

Table 2: Overview of Project Entitlements

Entitlement	Request	Complies with BCC and General Plan
General Plan Amendment No. 2024-02	Change the General Plan land use designation of the Project site from General Commercial to Mixed-Use II	Yes
Zone Change No. 2024-02	Change the zoning designation of the Project site from C-G General Commercial with a PD Overlay to MU-II Mixed-Use II	Yes*
Vesting Tentative Tract Map No. 2024-01	To allow for a subdivision of the Project site for condominium purposes	Yes
Precise Development No. 2024-02	To allow the demolition of an existing 164,908 square foot office building, a three-level parking structure, and surface parking and associated landscape areas, and construction of a residential development consisting of 179 single-family units (detached and attached) including landscaping and common open space areas, which would include a private park	Yes*
Development Agreement No. 2024-01	To allow a contract between the Applicant and the City, defining terms of development proposed by vesting the City’s approval while specifying public benefits and improvements	Yes
* The Project does not meet the following development standards: 1) minimum street side setback; 2) minimum rear setback; and 3) minimum parking requirements. In order to ensure compliance with the Brea City Code, the draft Conditions of Approval (Attachment I) requires the Applicant to either update the Project plans to comply with the applicable development standard and/or obtain subsequent approval of a MCUP or any other available administrative permit for the requested modification of standards.

 

A detailed analysis of the proposed Project consistency and compliance with the General Plan and Brea City Code is provided in the March 11, 2025 Planning Commission staff report (Attachment H) and the associated resolutions and ordinance attached to this report.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

The City, as the lead agency with the assistance of PlaceWorks, prepared an EIR in authority and criteria contained in the CEQA Guidelines and the environmental regulations of the City. An EIR is the highest level of environmental review under CEQA.

 

Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) Certification

A FEIR has been prepared pursuant to Section 15132 of the CEQA Guidelines, which contains response to agency and public comments made on the Draft EIR and a summary of revisions to the Draft EIR resulting from comments. CEQA Guidelines Section 15090 requires that, prior to approving a Project for which an EIR has been prepared, the lead agency shall certify that:

1. The Final EIR has been completed in compliance with CEQA;

2. The Final EIR was presented to the decision-making body of the lead agency and that the decision-making body reviewed and considered the information contained in the final EIR prior to approving the project; and

3. The Final EIR reflects the lead agency's independent judgment and analysis.

Along with the Final EIR, a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) has been prepared, which memorializes the proposed mitigation measures, along with the Draft Findings of Fact (FOF), which provides conclusions and findings required by the CEQA Guidelines. The FEIR can be accessed on the following link (https://www.cityofbrea.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17708/Final-EIR?bidId=), and MMRP and FOF are provided as Attachments R and S, respectively. The other environmental documents for the Project, including the NOP, NOA, and DEIR, can also be accessed on the following link: https://www.cityofbrea.gov/166/Projects-in-Process.

PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION

On March 11, 2025, the Planning Commission, on a 4 (ayes) - 1 (recusal) vote, approved a resolution recommending City Council certification of the EIR and approval of all associated entitlements for the Project. As part of this approval, the Planning Commission included several revisions and addition of new conditions of approval, which included requiring a community engagement for the potential traffic signal modification at Greenbriar Lane/Associated Road, updating language related to pedestrian connection to Brea Plaza, requiring at least one California-native tree in the plant palette, installation of a sign providing direction to The Tracks at Brea, and installation of a free book exchange structure.

 

In addition, the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council consider the following:

 

• Require the Applicant to provide sufficient funds for the City to comprehensively study and implement measures that may be needed to address identified issues related to cut-through traffic within Glenbrook neighborhood;
• Encourage the Applicant to study feasibility of providing parking over the flood control; and
• Review feasibility of a crosswalk at the new 4-way intersection within Greenbriar Lane to accommodate for a school bus stop during the design phase of the project, and if warranted, require the Project to install such crosswalk.

 

It should be noted that the Applicant has agreed to provide funding that would allow the City to conduct a comprehensive study of the Glenbrook neighborhood (west of Associated Road) to analyze various traffic conditions post-construction of the Project, including, but not limited to, cut-through traffic, traffic signal warrants and traffic calming measures, and to implement any improvement measures identified in such study. Refer to the Draft Development Agreement (Attachment Q) for more details.

 

The draft meeting minutes of March 11, 2025 Planning Commission meeting is Attachment I of this report. 

PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENTS

This Project was noticed in accordance with the City’s public noticing requirements, which involved mailed notices sent to property owners within 500-feet of the Project site, and publication in the Brea Star-Progress. The public hearing notice for the Project is provided as Attachment T. As of writing this report (Tuesday, March 24, 2025), no public comment has been received. All additional comments will be forwarded to the City Council.

FISCAL IMPACT/SUMMARY

There is no request for financial assistance or fee waivers associated with the Project. The Applicant would be responsible to pay for all applicable permit and development impact fees associated with construction of the Project. Therefore, the Project would not have a negative impact on the City’s General Fund. 

CONCLUSION

The Project is consistent with the goals and policies of the General Plan, including the City’s 6th Cycle Housing Element, and a majority of the provisions of the BCC. For the three development standards that are deviating from the provisions of the BCC (i.e. minimum street side setback, minimum rear setback, and minimum parking requirements), the Applicant would either be required to update the Project plans to comply with the applicable development and/or obtain subsequent approval of a MCUP or any other available administrative permit for the requested modification of standards. The Project offers a high-quality residential product on an underutilized site and provides pedestrian connectivity between the commercial uses at the Brea Plaza Shopping Center and a transitional buffer for the existing residential neighborhood to foster a vibrant mixed-use area. In addition, the environmental analysis prepared as part of the EIR concluded that there are no significant and unavoidable impacts. It is for the reasons discussed and the information provided within this report and its attachments that staff recommends that the City Council certify the EIR prepared for the Project and adopt all necessary resolutions and ordinances to approve the Project.

RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:

Prepared by:   Rebecca Pennington, Senior Planner

Concurrence:  Jason Killebrew, Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director

                        Joanne Hwang, AICP, City Planner

ATTACHMENTS:

1. EIR Certification Resolution
2. TTM No. 2024-01 Resolution
3. GPA No. 2024-02 Resolution
4. PD No. 2024-02 Resolution
5. ZC No. 2024-02 Ordinance
6. DA No. 2024-01 Ordinance
7. Draft Conditions of Approval
8. March 11, 2025 Planning Commission Staff Report
9. March 11, 2025 Draft Planning Commission Meeting Minutes
10. Technical Background
11. Vicinity Map
12. Project Application
13. Application’s Project Description
14. Illustrative Site Plan
15. Civil Sheets
16. Floor Plans and Elevations
17. Draft Development Agreement
18. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP)
19. Findings of Fact (FOF)
20. Public Hearing Notice