SEAL BEACH : Mola Corp. Foes Offer Alternative

A residents’ committee on Monday presented the City Council with an alternative to Mola Development Corp.’s plan to build 329 homes on the Hellman Ranch property.

The council majority requested the alternative plan earlier this month with an eye to placing it on the ballot to rival the $200-million Mola plan.

Leaders of Seal Beach Citizens for Parks, Open Space and Responsible Government said Monday that they are about 200 signatures away from qualifying the Mola proposal for a special election. The current council majority has rejected that plan and is the target of litigation by Mola.

The alternative presented Monday suggests building only on a bluff along Seal Beach Boulevard and leaving the remainder of the property as open space.

But not all committee members agreed with the proposal.

Former Councilwoman Joyce Risner, who is active in the initiative drive, presented a minority report that called the proposal a “dream plan” and criticized it for failing to include any environmental or fiscal analysis. The report also criticized the plan for recommending that some of the property remain undeveloped, while the city had targeted a portion of that land for affordable housing.

Councilman Joe Hunt, also a member of the initiative group, along with Mayor Edna Wilson, said it would be irresponsible to put the concept on the ballot without analyzing how much it would cost the voters and whether it would open the city to litigation.

David Hood, vice chairman of the residents’ committee, said the city attorney advised group members they did not have to consider financial constraints or feasibility.

While council members Frank Laszlo and Marilyn Bruce Hastings said they favor putting the alternative plan on the ballot to give voters a choice, they lacked the third vote because Councilwoman Gwen Forsythe was absent.