NORTHWEST : SEAL BEACH : Homes Development Vote Planned Today
The City Council will hold a special meeting today to vote on plans for a 355-home development on a portion of the old Hellman Ranch, the site of a former wetlands.
The meeting is at 3:30 p.m. at Seal Beach City Hall, 211 8th St.
Members of the local Wetlands Restoration Society want development banned from portions of the site, located north of Pacific Coast Highway and west of Seal Beach Boulevard, where they hope 100 acres of former wetlands will be restored.
In its proposal, the Newport Beach-based Mola Development Co. promises to restore 26 acres of degraded wetlands on the property and expand them to 36 acres. As part of the restoration, Mola will return tidal flow to the wetlands and replant native flora, making it again a viable habitat for local and migratory birds, the company has said.
However, the society disputes such claims, saying the wetlands will be spurned by birds because of the close proximity of homes.
If the council approves the project, the plan would go to the state Coastal Commission, the final authority. The commission is scheduled to hear the proposal during the week of Nov. 13.
In 1988, the commission rejected Mola’s previous plan for 770 homes and a golf course on the property because it infringed on six acres of wetlands.
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