Sunrise Village shopping center located at the corner of Euclid and Rosecrans in Fullerton took another step towards being demolished and converted into 164 homes with the planning commission’s unanimous approval of the development project on December 7, 2022. The development proposal will go to city council next. It is tentatively on the agenda for the December 20 City Council meeting.

From the beginning the neighborhood group, Save Sunrise Village, has opposed the development asking instead for Shopoff developers to invest in the existing community shopping center.

After the Planning Commission’s unanimous vote, the Save Sunrise Village group released this statement:

“While we all expected this proposal to be voted through to City Council, it was a devastating blow and disheartening to hear a 5 to 0 vote by the Planning Commission without careful consideration of relevant information presented by members of the public. In fact, it was very obvious to us the Commissioners had already formed their opinion ahead of time and our presence was immaterial. They should have just sent out a public notice letting us know our presence was not needed so we could make better use of our time, like spending it with our families.

Commissioners voted out of fear that the developer will use CA State legislation (higher density residential laws) SB2011 and SB6 on this property. Our current General Plan already envisioned the higher density range and has designated zones and building types to accommodate the need for more housing. And Sunrise Village is NOT a targeted location for the intense density. Instead of following our local laws, our leaders are voting out of fear of a developer application that may or may not happen. And…the fact that City Council voted and unanimously passed a commercial site plan on city owned property in a residential zone (the Fox Theater) when so much housing is necessary leaves us to believe something’s wrong with the City’s decision making.

Using state legislation that has not been clearly stated in how it directly will impact the City of Fullerton has sent the signal that we need to have public study sessions to evaluate the details against the current Shopoff plan. We WILL follow through and contact the City Manager.

It is our contention that this 12-acre site is bearing the weight of undefined legislation and should not be enacted as the model for several other sites destined to be proposed for the same, if not worse, outcome for their local communities here in Fullerton. Mayor Jung has indicated that there is no rush to finalize this proposal, and it certainly appears to need more exposure by all the sites in town destined for the same greater density and lack of commercial space as Sunrise.

We never thought our Sunrise Team would still be working night and day to save our shopping center here on Rosecrans and Euclid. Our effort began back in October 2021. We met with our Planning Commissioners and City Council members over and over again. We met with our state elected officials, former elected officials here in town, real estate folks, the Sunrise shop owners, attorneys and potentially viable investors for the site. We have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours collecting information, writing articles for publication, and reading information from investigations in public meetings.

We want to continue to provide the integrity, intellectual capability, stamina and perseverance invested in our efforts and be sure ALL Fullerton residents are updated, as well. Please join our efforts and help us reach out to others (SaveSunriseVillage@yahoo.com). We realize and appreciate how busy everyone is this time of year, yet we truly need your help. It Takes a Village to Save a Village.”

Warm Regards,

Carol Edmonston    Teresa Lim

Barbara Kilponen    Cathy Yang C

ynthia Gil-Santillan    Sam He

Lynne Frutchey    Wayne Lancaster