Vote Due on Project Near Water Tower

Four months of petition signing, accusations and debate are expected to come to a head when the Planning Commission votes next week on plans for an oil-change shop and car wash next to the distinctive redwood water-tower house on Pacific Coast Highway near Sunset Beach.

The development, one of Seal Beach’s most controversial, is set for a vote on Monday. Some residents who live near the tower complain that the oil-change shop is not a suitable neighbor for their beloved landmark. They also fear the shop will worsen the area’s already severe traffic problems.

The oil-change shop and car wash are proposed for a vacant lot next to the tower. Though the land is surrounded mostly by homes, it is zoned for commercial use.

Last summer, the Santa Barbara developer who owns the land proposed building a three-story townhouse complex on the land. But he withdrew the application after residents complained that the complex would impinge on the view of the tower.

At least one planning commissioner expressed hope Monday that the residents and the developer could forge some kind of agreement.

“I have a hunch that if all those people put down their guns and pulled out the peace pipe, they might like the same thing,” said Commissioner Mary Law. “They might be able to agree on something.

Law said she hadn’t decided how she was going to vote on the proposal. The developer “has a large investment in that property. If this doesn’t pass, something else will,” she said. “Something is going to go there.”

If the Planning Commission approves the project and if anyone lodges a protest, the issue goes to the City Council.