Yorba Linda seeking to annex soundwall area

The planned annexation of 140 acres of unincorporated county territory abutting Anaheim Hills would, if approved, place all of the proposed railroad sound-absorbing wall within the Yorba Linda city limits. Yorba Linda sued late last year, halting construction of the soundwall that been slated to start on Jan. 2. Both cities are still waiting for a judge to rule on the suit. In the meantime, Yorba Linda has proposed annexing the county islands known as the Country Club and Fairlynn neighborhoods. Fairlynn is adjacent to Anaheim Hills and includes about 25 percent of the area where the soundwall is to be built. Documents describing the Fairlynn annexation area state the project area is "north of Esperanza Road." That description was inaccurate. Russell Maguire, Anaheim deputy city engineer, and Mary McCloskey, deputy planning director, challenged the project description as being different than the map included with it. Anaheim requested that the project description be corrected to include the area south of Esperanza Road. Bruce Cook, Yorba Linda's deputy planning director, said the annexation area "follows the south boundary of the (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) railroad. It follows the common boundary between Anaheim and Yorba Linda." That would include all unincorporated areas down to the Anaheim city limits. "It sounds to me like that would place-the entire railroad right of way and the soundwall in Yorba Linda," Maguire said. "But, we are still waiting for a formal notification from Yorba Linda." Anaheim was not notified by Yorba Linda staff of the annexation hearing. It is unknown if, or how, the annexation proposal might affect the outcome of the soundwall dispute between the two cities.