HUNTINGTON BEACH : Closing Street for Parking Lot OKd

The city this week moved a step closer toward eliminating a section of Talbert Avenue to make way for a parking lot for the Huntington Central Library expansion.

The Planning Commission, despite opposition by two members, this week approved the 705-space parking lot, which would force the city to remove Talbert Avenue between Golden West and Gothard streets.

The City Council, which has already approved the library expansion, next month will have final say on the parking lot plan.

Library officials and supporters strongly back eliminating Talbert Avenue and building a contiguous parking lot because it would correct a problem about which patrons have long complained.

Currently, the library’s parking is cut in two by Talbert Avenue, forcing many visitors to cross the street to reach the facility. Also, the lot, like the street, is badly dilapidated.

The street constantly requires repairs because it runs over unstable ground. The earth beneath the area is a former landfill, which sits atop a deep layer of peat, City Engineer Robert Eichblatt said. As a result, the street “just sinks into the sunset,” he said.

Talbert is currently on Orange County’s list of streets designated to become major arterial roads. But, because of the unstable ground, it would be extremely expensive, if not impossible, to widen the street to serve more traffic, Eichblatt said.

“Not only can you not build an arterial highway there, if you did, other agencies would shut you down,” he said.

If the City Council approves the new parking arrangement, county staff members will recommend that the Board of Supervisors eliminate Talbert Avenue from the list of arterial roads, Eichblatt said.

Nonetheless, Planning Commission Chairman Kirk Kirkland and Commissioner Victor Leipzig opposed the new library parking lot, saying they do not want to rule out the possibility of one day widening Talbert Avenue.

“Losing a street is like losing a limb,” Kirkland said. “If we lose Talbert as a cross-connecting street, it’s not likely it’s going to be replaced.”

And, noting that the city plans to build more than 7,000 new homes by the end of the decade, Kirkland said he believes that a widened Talbert Avenue will be needed to handle additional traffic. “To eliminate Talbert now would be another classic example of poor planning,” he said.

Proponents of the lot pointed out that emergency vehicles and other traffic would still be able to pass through the parking lot heading to or from Talbert.