HUNTINGTON BEACH : Neighbors Oppose Hotel’s Big Tent

Neighbors of the Waterfront Hilton beach resort on Pacific Coast Highway say they will fight the hotel’s request to erect a massive tent on three of its parking lots.

The residents cited concerns over noise and traffic.

The hotel has asked the city for permission to build a 5,200-square-foot tent to accommodate social functions. The tent would be less than 40 yards from a 289-unit condominium complex called Seaside Village.

The hotel wants the 17-foot-high structure, which will have an aluminum and steel frame, to remain in place for up to five years.

Seaside Village residents said outdoor music from the structure will bother residents. And neighbors also worry that since the tent will host large social events, it will snarl local traffic.

“If that tent is made permanent, which is what five years sounds like to me, the amount of traffic down here is going to be a thousand times over what it is now,” said Paul Schafer, a Seaside Village resident.

But city officials said the tent, like any city establishment, would be subject to noise-ordinance codes, which should adequately protect neighbors.

Although a zoning administrator already approved a permit for the hotel to hold two events at the tent on April 20 and May 5, the city still must grant approval to erect the structure, according to city planners.

The hotel will also need another permit to leave the tent up for five years, said city planners. No date has been set yet for either hearing.

Hilton officials were unavailable for comment.