La Habra Heights, 'view protection' and rural setting at risk.

LA HABRA HEIGHTS - Just how important is the view from your house? Maybe not so much, if you live in a tract house in the flatlands of Whittier, but here in La Habra Heights it's everything to some people. Take Dalyn Miller-Geiser, a resident since 1997. "The view is one of the features I looked for in purchasing a home," said Miller-Geiser, who can see the lights in Chino Hills from her property. "We were informed that in La Habra Heights, (views) are protected," she said. "You don't own the hill, but somebody (by building a house) can't take out what is determined to be your view." And it's why Miller-Geiser and others are protesting a proposed series of amendments to the zoning code that will be considered by the City Council at a special 6 p.m. meeting Monday. "People are so alarmed over the changes because they feel that things have loosened up so much," she said. "It's an element of trust." Others say they believe these changes will mean the loss of the city's rural style. "What they're trying to do is transition the city from being rural to being urban estates," said resident Stephen Blagden. "What code amendments do is clean up legal discrepancies and some inequities left in the code," said Councilman Carl Westerhoff, who worked on the amendments while he was on the Planning Commission. The code deletes the term view corridor but still keeps a definition of what is called "primary view," that is what you can see from the ground floor of your residence or patio area. But Blagden says he's concerned about these changes. "The cumulative effect is to reduce view protection and give more control to staff," he said. "It means if you have a view now, and someone proposes to build something, staff can come and say what your view is and allow someone to block it." Another issue is over how much area of a property can be covered by concrete or asphalt - called "hardscape" in the zoning code. But former Councilwoman Judy Hathaway-Francis said she fears these proposals will allow more development in La Habra Heights. "You'll have more buildings, more runoff, more erosion and a big fat mess," Hathaway-Francis said.