HUNTINGTON BEACH : Projects Rejected at Councilman’s Behest

Plans for twin condominium projects on Pacific Coast Highway were rejected by the City Council at the request of Councilman John Erskine, who said he hopes that the council will now review the entire downtown land-use plan.

The council voted unanimously to uphold Erskine’s appeal of a pair of four-unit complexes proposed for the highway at 13th and 14th streets. The councilman charged that the buildings would be architecturally unsightly and too sparsely landscaped.

The identical projects each called for special permits to allow smaller upper-story setbacks, less open space and fewer trees and shrubberies than city codes require. The project now returns to the Planning Commission with the council’s request that the developer add landscaping and top-deck setbacks.

Erskine, although usually pro-development, historically has challenged residential developments on Pacific Coast Highway that do not conform strictly to the city’s standards for open space and landscaping. He said such projects create clutter and mar the scenic beauty along the city’s most picturesque and well-traveled highway.

“I’m getting weary of seeing crummy projects going up along our key arterial” streets and highways, he said.

He said he now hopes that the council’s decision will be the first step toward re-evaluating city codes relating to downtown residential development, particularly in regard to Pacific Coast Highway projects.

“I think it’s time we consider whether we should be looking more closely at the downtown specific plan and decide whether to uphold it more rigidly or amend it,” Erskine said. “I think that we’ve really missed the boat on projects we’ve (approved) on Pacific Coast Highway.”