SEAL BEACH : Hellman Ranch Plan Committee Formed

Ten residents and a representative of area property owners will form an advisory committee for the revision of the Hellman Ranch specific plan, the City Council decided this week.

Council members, who discussed forming the committee at Monday’s meeting, are expected to select and appoint residents from their respective districts to the committee in the next two months.

The Hellman Ranch Specific Plan Advisory panel will review the existing plan, which was devised five years ago and has been criticized by some residents as outdated. The committee will determine whether it is necessary for the city to revise the plan, which details development guidelines for projects on the 149-acre stretch of land.

There are no development proposals being considered for the property, said City Manager Jerry A. Bankston.

Mola Development Corp. was unsuccessful in its bid to build 329 homes on the land. Mola’s project was originally approved in 1989 by the City Council, but the decision was overturned by a Superior Court commissioner because the city’s housing plan was out of date. The state Supreme Court backed that decision by refusing to hear Mola’s request to have the project reinstated.

The council did not decide whether the city will hire consultants to work with committee members.

“I believe the committee will need all the technical data they can get,” said Councilwoman Gwen Forsythe. “There are several constraints to that property and the committee needs to know if the land cannot handle certain kinds of projects.”

The Newport-Inglewood fault is believed to run through the Hellman Ranch property and officials fear the property is at risk of seismic activity.