The Walnut City Council Planning Commission heard proposals for new businesses in Walnut and listened as residents criticized real estate developments on Dec. 4.

During public comment, several residents shared a range of emotions, from anger to sadness, about the dynamic nature of the city.

Lifelong resident Andrea Han said that a favorite activity of hers while growing up was to “search for crawdads by the Meadowpass creek.” Han added that she wonders if her own kids will have this kind of experience in the city with new developments occurring in Walnut.

In recent years, the City of Walnut has begun several large scale developments or projects in the city, including a townhouse development and an affordable housing unit, a first for the city.

Recent developments also had residents questioning how the Planning Commission values residents in comparison to developers. Residents also expressed frustration at developer Brookstone’s apparent failure to meet a community agreement that they would build an outdoor center in Walnut.

“We got two park benches instead,” one resident said.

Commissioners assured the residents that they will begin the initial steps of communicating with the residents about their complaints.

The commission also heard proposals to open a new children’s learning center next to an existing Tutor Time location. Since Tutor Time is an after-school program, the commission agreed that there would need to be more parking spots in place to ensure adequate traffic flow and safety as children are dropped off and picked up.

The Walnut Planning Commission meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the council chambers.