HUNTINGTON BEACH : Old Airport Owners Say City Broke Deal

Owners of the now defunct Meadowlark Airport are being accused by city staff workers of breaking an agreement by not removing old airport buildings from the land.

The City Council ordered a public hearing to be held at its regular 7 p.m. meeting on Jan. 7 to discuss the accusations against the Nerio family, the owners of the Meadowlark site. The continued existence of the old, vacant airport buildings detract from the neighborhood, according to Councilwoman Grace Winchell.

The 44-year-old, small-plane airport was closed by the Nerios in September, 1989. They plan to build condominiums and a shopping center on the 65-acre tract. The land is in the center of Huntington Beach, bordered by a golf course and residential streets.

The Nerios and the city entered into a building agreement on July 19, setting conditions for development. It required that the Nerio family remove most airport buildings from the site. In a written report to the City Council on Dec. 17, Mike Adams, the city’s director of community development, said that the demolition agreement “has not been complied with.” Adams urged the council to hold a public hearing on the matter.