SEAL BEACH : City OK Expected for Hellman Ranch Park

The City Council is expected to give final approval tonight for a public park that Mola Development Corp. has agreed to build as part of a development of Hellman Ranch.

On Tuesday, the entire development, including 355 residential units, will go to the California Coastal Commission, which will hold a public hearing and vote.

The park, which would cost Mola an estimated $1.4 million, would include eight tennis courts, two lighted basketball courts, a sand volleyball court and a 2,000-square-foot community center. Also included would be a gazebo, a raised viewing area near the wetlands, a picnic area, playing fields and modest landscaping.

Construction of the park or the $200-million residential development on the old Hellman Ranch in southwest Seal Beach will not begin until the company receives approval from the California Coastal Commission, which is meeting Tuesday in Marina del Rey.

According to Mola project director Kirk Evans, the commission vote is the last step in an approval process that began nearly four years ago. If the vote is in favor, Mola intends to begin construction by February, he said.