SEAL BEACH : Plan to Build Next to Tower Up in Air

The tall brown water tower on the west side of Pacific Coast Highway is an eye-catcher for most motorists driving through town.

It shoots up on wooden stilts from among the surrounding structures like a sunflower peeking over a picket fence.

That view was recently threatened, however, when the owner of an adjacent property sought a zoning change that would allow him to construct a three-story, 35-foot-high residential structure that would have partially blocked the view of the 65-foot tower from the north.

The Seal Beach Planning Commission was expected to rule on the zoning change last Wednesday, but at the last minute, Jeff Overeem, owner of the property next to the water tower, decided to reconsider his application.

For water tower owner Bob O’Dell that meant a temporary sigh of relief.

O’Dell said no construction should be allowed “to compromise the historical integrity of that setting.”

A building that partially blocks the view of the tower, he said, would detract from the tower’s significance.

O’Dell, who has been relentless in his opposition to the zoning change, rounded up a small army of opponents--he presented the commission with a 1,090-signature petition--and plans to continue his fight as necessary until the issue is settled.

The tower has been there longer than most residents of the area. Some can remember paying water bills there.

City records show it was built in 1940 by the Santa Fe Tank and Pipe Co. to service the small cluster of beach homes and businesses in the area.

The tower, made of 21,000 board feet of redwood and Douglas fir, provided water to the area until 1975, when it was abandoned.

The tower is not designated as a historical structure in Seal Beach but is recognized for its local historical significance, officials said.

The water tower is more than just history to O’Dell. It is his home. In 1982, he remodeled the inside of the tower to accommodate a two-bedroom living space that has a commanding 360-degree view of the ocean and surrounding area.

For now, O’Dell and his supporters are hoping that Overeem will settle on a less imposing building.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to take up the issue again at its Sept. 23 meeting.