What Brea is about to decide

The Brea Planning Commission meets Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 1 Civic Center Circle. One public hearing and one report. These are pending decisions from the posted agenda — nothing below has been approved yet. Every item links to the official record.

Source: official agenda packet (PDF) · Brea agendas · Written comments: planner@cityofbrea.gov by 3 p.m. on the day of the meeting · Posted September 17, 2026

🏠 Public hearing: a taller ADU at 432 S. Orange Avenue

• The request: Certificate of Compatibility No. 2026-01, from applicant James Bobbett, “to allow a new 799-square-foot detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) located above a new 392-square-foot detached two-car garage and 376 square-foot storage room to exceed the 16-foot maximum building height allowed for a detached ADU by eight feet-five inches, resulting in a proposed building height of 24 feet-five inches.” An existing 421-square-foot shed would be demolished. Item 3.A
• Where: the east side of South Orange Avenue between East Date Street and East Elm Street, a roughly 9,000-square-foot R-1 lot with two attached single-family units. Staff say nearby R-1 properties have “similar configurations with a primary residence at the front of the property and a detached garage with an upper-level ADU at the rear.” Item 3.A
• Staff recommendation: find the project exempt from CEQA under Guidelines Section 15303 and approve the certificate subject to conditions. As of the report, “staff has not received public comments.” Commission decisions may be appealed to the City Council within ten calendar days. Item 3.A

📜 Mills Act compliance report

• 20 historic-property contracts: the annual receive-and-file report says that for compliance year 2025, 11 properties have fully completed their rehabilitation plans, 8 are in progress and 1 is “Unknown (Unresponsive)” — up from 3, 16 and 1 in 2023. “Only one property owner continues to remain unresponsive. This property will be phased out of the program and Staff will initiate the non-renewal process.” Item 2.B
• Also on consent: draft minutes of the September 8 meeting. Committee reports and project updates follow. Items 2.A, 4.A, 4.B

Council Brief summaries are produced from official public records by our automated newsroom and reviewed before publication. Items are described as posted; the council may amend, continue, or remove items at the meeting. Spot an error? hello@councilbrief.com — we publish corrections.