A Glimpse Into Fullerton’s Future

It wasn't safe. but it sure was uncomfortable...
It wasn’t comfortable. but it sure was dangerous…

Okay, Friends here’s a pop quiz. What do Jan Flory, Bud Chaffee, Jennifer Fitzgerald, Bruce Whitaker and Greg Sebourn have in common? Think for a second…

Got it? Of course, it was an easy question.

They are collectively responsible for the overdevelopment of Fullerton. Look around: Commonwealth, Orangefair, Santa Fe, each now, or soon to be home for massive, overbearing penitentiary-like apartment blocks.

The Thing That Ate Fullerton...
Cliff Dwelling Is The Life For Me, or: Thing That Ate Fullerton…(image swiped from Orange Juice Blog)

The ridiculous and deathless “Amerige Court” monster is back, too being pimped by a guy named Cameron Irons.

Follow my easy method, and one of us will get rich!
Follow my easy method, and one of us will get rich!

You remember him, right? County Supervisor Shawn Nelson’s crony who stood to make a $100,000 commission as Nelson tried to ram through the County’s big homeless shelter next to Fullerton’s Commonwealth Elementary School.

Nelson wears his game face.
Nelson wears his game face. Too bad we’re not on the same team.

And there’s very little need to hold our breath until the “College Park” upzone Godzilla rears its ugly head, once again.

Whatever the motivation of our “representatives” to jam ever more high-density residential projects into Fullerton, the result is the same: more burden on the City’s utilities and infrastructure, and above all, more traffic cramming our streets, costs that are carried by all of us as the developer makes his bundle and skips off to his next monster.

Is it really too much of an exaggeration to say that soon the major intersections at Harbor, Orangethorpe and Lemon will become virtually gridlocked at certain times of the day? Soon we may all have to find alternative ways to get around Fullerton.

It’s pretty clear that none of these lofty people have the best interests of ordinary Fullerton residents in mind. In fact, we seem to be nothing more than an annoyance to their big plans, that is if you can call helter-skelter development a plan.

48 Replies to “A Glimpse Into Fullerton’s Future”

  1. Supposedly Nelson was responsible for the creation of both Joe Felz AND Fitzgerald. Good tie-in. These people just get re-elected time and time again. But are NOT on our side.

    1. Nelson alienated a lot of his old friends in Fullerton. I’m not sure what he’s even pursuing these days. Has he done anything for us?

        1. He’ll get his pension sooner than he will ever become a judge. Nobody wants a fat-mouth blowhard with the attention span of a 3 year old on the bench.

  2. There are several major problems with these residential mega-developments here in Fullerton – more traffic, more pressure on our infrastructure, more impact on public safety (police and fire),. And two big problems that are never mentioned. (1) They will not bring the city enough tax revenue to cover the added costs to the city. (2) A few decades from now they will become slums.

    1. The automated electric vehicle revolution, if it arrives as promised by Tesla/Google/Apple/etc., may soon reduce many traffic and parking issues everywhere.

      It’s still to early for most of us to place bets, but it’s something to consider.

      1. The only certainty about that uncertainty is that will bring unemployment. I don’t know what makes you think that will lessen traffic. . .Very futuristic comment yours, in my opinion very ungrounded

        1. Automated cars can carpool much easier, drive faster and closer together, adapt to traffic lights and and adapt to traffic patterns. It’s coming.

          1. Adapt to traffic lights? You mean to to stop at a red light, and go when it turns green. Don’t we already do that? Carpooling is mainly a function whose variables are willingness by human beings to carpool and practicality of the relative points of departure and arrival of commuters. All this fabulous planing ,is all the sudden magically going to pop up because of self driving autos???? As I said before the only certain thing about the implementation of this technology at a large scale is UNEMPLOYMENT!!! About 50% of the total mass of employment in the USA has at least a 2h daily avegae of paid driving.

    2. “A few decades from now they will become slums.”

      I would say about 30-35 years. That’s when ownership will have changed hands a couple up times.

      You’ll see junk stuffed ion the balconies and various forms of laundry draped on the railings. The long double-loaded corridors will start to look like a Chicago housing project.

      1. Yes, indeed, I do.

        Quit handing out massive rezones and changes to the General Plan – just because a developer pays fees and makes campaign contributions. There is no property “right” to get rich while dumping the adverse effects of your project on everyone else. New development should contribute something – not just take.

        The other path is recall.

      1. I never figured out what that was all about. Looked like a guy barfing on a pile of Legos or something.

      2. The barfing sign guy was a sellout. Everybody knows Bruce Whitaker and Susan Gapinski recruited him to run so he would diliute the votes that otherwise could have elected Roberta Reid.

  3. Coyote Hills and Fullerton College Stadium will be the next gift from Madam Mayor & the Honorable Council Members. Corporations decide. Local government allows. Residents get squashed

  4. Fitzgerald was big supporter of that homeless shelter, too. I can hear them all now – screw East Fullerton.

  5. It is funny how all the big projects are always down in the flat lands. I say build the homeless shelter at Bastanchury and Morelia.. West Fullerton has dealt with the majority of the homeless for 30 yrs plus. They bus them into the armory and then leave them in our neighborhoods and they stay year around. There is a homeless camp over by Pacific Drive school. And there are plenty of smaller ones around west Fullerton. As residents and homeowners we cant even take a walk without being verbally and some physically assaulted by some of the homeless people. As far as high rises some are ok in the right locations. the cone chevrolet project makes zero sense. we need to open up traffic outlets before we build. Richman needs to be opened up maybe figure out how to make basque go through.

  6. Shawn Nelson!

    Your hair looks absolutely HIDEOUS! This is worse than sewage, it’s like you dipped your skull into a bucket of carbon black and polyurethane trying of waterproofing yourself from the elements! The only humane thing to do at this point is to SHAVE it all off and start over.

  7. Whitaker voted no on Ventana
    Whitaker voted no on Malden
    Whitaker voted no on Amerige Court repeatedly
    Whitaker opposed the DCCSP
    Whitaker opposed College Town
    Whitaker has spoken against the Melia project
    Whitaker opposed entertaining bids for development surrounding the Fox.

    1. Yeah, well Whitaker went along with ignoring Measure W and granting development rights to Chevron at Coyote Hills too, so.

    2. But Whitaker voted yes on that monstrosity that’s going up on South Harbor despite the City own paid Architectural consultant’s recommendation against it. Oh, I forgot, it’s Tokers Town. They like it like that.

      1. “The City own paid Architectural consultant’s recommendation against it. ”

        Well now your making ME want to vote for it.

        1. And you would be mistaken if you did want to vote for it: 700 feet long interior corridors? It’s really going to look like San Quentin. And not in a good way.

  8. A few commenters have alluded to it, so I’ll bring it up: the hypocrisy of Fullerton’s hill dwelling elite who would fight to the death a planned development in the vicinity, but who are completely careless about what happens in the flat area of the city.

    For decades the hill dwellers have controlled the city council. And what do we have to show for it?

  9. They should prioritize fixing the roads of Fullerton. They are the worst roads compared to adjacent cities.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *