Update: July 2024
The fill plan described below did not go forward. In July 2024, the City of Orange announced that the former Chandler sand-and-gravel basin, known locally as the “Chandler pit,” was being donated to the City to be preserved as natural open space. Under a proposed development agreement, the owners would donate the basin and in exchange expand their business along Santiago Canyon Road onto their existing property, at street level only. The Orange County Register reported on July 26, 2024 that the 14-acre pit was on track to become a nature preserve. The City of Orange now counts the pit as part of about 112 acres of potential public open space along Santiago Creek, together with the former Sully-Miller property. Read more: Orange Approves Path to Turn Sully-Miller Pit Into Permanent Open Space: What It Means for Villa Park.
The City of Orange is in the process of granting a grading permit to Chandler’s Sand and Gravel at 1425 Santiago Blvd., the corner of Cannon St. and Santiago Canyon Rd. The 14.8-acre quarry and gravel pit is just behind the Blue Ribbon Nursery and adjacent to the Oakridge Private School and Cannon St.
Chandler is proposing to bring the property up to the grade of Santiago Canyon Road by filling a 140-foot deep pit with construction waste. This is the same material that is being dumped at the Sully Miller site (and operated by Chandler) where local residents complain of the dust and debris.
If approved, it is projected to take five years and will consist of 70,000 truck trips and 770,000 cubic yards of debris, in order to fill the site to the grade of the street. Unbeknownst to many, Chandler has been spending the last four years attempting to secure the approvals to complete this project.
Local Resident Concerns
- This is a precursory move towards future development of residential homes in an already traffic congested area.
- Chandler has already acknowledged an intent to sell the land once the quarry is filled and the grading is done.
- The land is designated on the City’s General Plan and East Orange Plan as open space.
- The waste might contain undetectable amounts of PFAS chemicals which, if found, is extremely dangerous in drinking water. The Santiago Recharge Basin is 500 feet downstream from the site.
- willow woodland, riparian and coastal sage scrub and an identified habitat for endangered and threatened species, including the Least Bell’s Vireo.