Brea sits in northern Orange County, California, about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. For most of its history, the city remained a small oil and citrus town.
Things started to change in the early 1970s when the 57 Freeway opened and made it easier for Brea to reach other nearby areas. City leaders soon started planning a much larger commercial project.
They chose a site covering about 74 acres, bordered by State College Boulevard, Imperial Highway, South Randolph Avenue, and East Birch Street…