HUNTINGTON BEACH : Commissioners Give School Tentative OK

The Planning Commission this week tentatively approved plans for an 8.3-acre elementary school to be built in the Holly-Seacliff development area.

Commissioners approved a master plan for a key 51-acre, 141-home tract in the massive Holly-Seacliff development, including the developers’ request that the new school be built north of Garfield Avenue near Edwards Street.

The developers--Pacific Coast Homes, a subsidiary of the Huntington Beach Co., and Santa Monica-based Urban West Communities--now have six months to work out an agreement on the school site with the Huntington Beach City School District. Commissioners agreed to extend the negotiating period beyond the usual 30-day limit.

Although neither side would reveal the details of their talks, district officials are calling for more compensation--in land and money--toward the new school than developers so far have been willing to give.

A new school in the area will be needed because the 768-acre Holly-Seacliff project calls for more than 5,000 new homes.

“Our goal is the same as it has been all along,” said Gary Burgner, the district’s deputy superintendent for business services. “We need a facility to house that number of kids. Schools are part of the infrastructure needed to support a major development, just like roads, sewers and lighting.”

In addition to differences on financing, the two sides disagree on how large the school should be. While developers are favoring the 8.3-acre proposal, district officials are calling for a 10-acre site, which would be similar in size to each of its existing eight schools.

A secondary site being considered for the school is in the same vicinity, but on the south side of Garfield Avenue.