HUNTINGTON BEACH : Neighbors’ Protests Don’t Stop Planners

The city’s Planning Commission has approved two controversial projects despite pleas by nearby residents that both be voted down.

One project calls for inclusion of an interpretive center in the planned Linear Regional Park. The other project calls for cleaning up the old Ascon landfill near Edison High School and allowing the developer to build up to 591 units of housing on the site.

Neighbors in both areas vigorously protested the two proposals.

Residents of the upscale Seacliff area opposed the interpretive center proposal, saying it would ruin their views and draw traffic. As planned, the center, which would provide information about wildlife and the environment in the Bolsa Chica area, would be housed in a 10,000-square-foot building with a paved parking lot.

The long-planned Linear Regional Park is being built by county government on 103 acres of high ground bordering the Bolsa Chica wetlands. The narrow park would link the city’s existing Central Park to the ocean at Pacific Coast Highway.

Supporters of the interpretive center have said it would be a key feature of the Linear Regional Park. But opponents, including Seacliff residents, claimed it would be an unsightly obtrusion.

At the Planning Commission’s Tuesday night meeting, the interpretive center passed on a 6-1 vote, with Commissioner Roy Richardson casting the lone opposing vote. Richardson said he prefers an informal, outdoor-type interpretive center for the park, rather than a building.

The commission’s action is a recommendation only, and the final decision on the interpretive center will be made later this year by the City Council.

The City Council is also likely to make the final decision on the controversial Ascon dump site. That 39-acre site at Magnolia Street and Hamilton Avenue served as a landfill for almost 50 years. At one time, toxic oil-field waste was dumped there.

A developer has proposed cleaning up the site in exchange for permission to build 591 units of housing on the land. Residents of the area on Tuesday night protested to the Planning Commission, arguing that the development would be too dense.

The commission, however, voted 7 to 0 for the plan, which was recommended by the city’s professional staff. The staff report noted that the plan allows for a hazardous waste site to be cleaned up without spending tax dollars.