Seal Beach : Forum Set for Debate of Development Proposal

The Marina Democratic Club has scheduled a citizens forum for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to debate the proposed Bixby Ranch Co. development, Proposition A on the ballot of the special city election set for Jan. 29.

Panelists planning to speak in favor of the development are City Councilwoman Joyce Risner and Robbie Watkinson of Citizens for a Better Seal Beach, said club spokesman Jim Spellman. Those scheduled to speak against the project are Planning Commissioner Jay Covington, former Councilman Frank Laszlo and Councilman Frank Clift.

Bixby has been invited to send a representative to the forum, but the company has not yet responded, Spellman said.

The Marina Democratic Club has not taken a position on the issue, he said.

The proposed development, which would include three office buildings and two restaurants on an 18-acre vacant site bordered by Seal Beach Boulevard, the San Diego Freeway and Rossmoor, was rejected by a unanimous Planning Commission last summer, then later approved by the council on a 3-2 vote.

Opponents then collected enough signatures to prompt the special election. They say they object to the height of the four-story office buildings--twice that usually permitted in Seal Beach--and an expected increase in traffic. The project site also lies at the end of a Los Alamitos Air Station runway in what opponents call a potential aircraft accident zone.

Additionally, opponents contend that office buildings would overlook the residential Rossmoor neighborhood, invading residents’ privacy.

In a mailer sent to selected voters, Bixby contends that the project would be “one of the most beautiful office parks in Southern California, (with) more than $1 million of garden-like landscaping.”

If rejected by a majority of voters, the project cannot be approved again for at least a year. The forum will be held at the Seal Beach Library, Electric Avenue and 8th Street.