NORTHWEST : HUNTINGTON BEACH : Beach Land Sought in Property Swap

Part of Bolsa Chica State Beach northwest of the Huntington Beach Municipal Pier could become city property if a land swap is successful.

Huntington Beach wants to own the 2.3 miles of beach because it plans to build a parking garage and restrooms, and add landscaping along the beach, City Administrator Paul E. Cook said.

“We don’t want to make improvements on land we don’t own,” Cook said.

The city has a 35-year operating lease for the beach and plans to make the improvements even if the state does not give up the land, he said.

But without ownership, the state could ask the city to remove its planned $13-million garage when the lease expires.

To take ownership, the city will offer the county land on Gothard Street near Huntington Central Park, which the state would use as a storage yard for beach maintenance equipment, Cook said.

To get the county to give up the land, the city will offer to maintain the county’s planned Bolsa Chica Regional Park once it is developed, he said. The 112-acre park, still in the planning stages, would run from near Ellis Avenue and Edwards Street south to the beach.

So far, county and state officials seem receptive to the plan, Cook said.

But a final agreement will need approval from the governor and the Orange County Board of Supervisors, so nothing will be final for at least two years, he said.