HUNTINGTON BEACH : Housing Moratorium Affects ‘In-Fill’ Lots

The City Council has enacted a 45-day moratorium on housing construction on certain types of lots in the city following complaints from Huntington Seacliff residents that new homes being built in their area are detrimental to the neighborhood.

About a dozen residents voiced concerns during Monday’s council meeting about the new homes, some of which are being built on “oil islands” that once contained drilling rigs and machinery.

Residents called the new two-story homes monstrosities that tower above the existing one-story homes, built more than 20 years ago. They also said the homes--built with expansive windows--invade their privacy and harm views and property values.

“It’s just that they’re so big, massive and tall, and the result is what we consider a visual intrusion and it’s got people concerned,” said Jeff Metzel, president of Huntington Seacliff Homeowners’ Assn.

Metzel said that while the new homes are beautiful, they don’t fit in with the existing neighborhood of 314 homes.

Monday’s council vote, while directed at the Huntington Seacliff neighborhood, affects the entire city, temporarily banning issuance of building permits for new single-family homes on so-called “in-fill” lots in areas that are mostly developed.

Melanie S. Fallon, director of community development, said no building permits will be issued until the council adopts a new ordinance to ensure that new homes are compatible with existing homes in a neighborhood.

Residents contend that the new Huntington Seacliff homes, while in accord with existing zoning, should have come under a city provision that mandates a conditional-use permit and hearing before construction of homes more than 25 feet high.

Tom Zanic, vice president of New Urban West, a partner in Seacliff Partners, developer of the homes, expressed surprise at the temporary ban.

“We are reviewing the comments of the City Council and we will be meeting with staff and assessing how we move forward,” he said.

Seacliff Partners plans to build a total of 120 homes in the area off Golden West Street, with about half in the Huntington Seacliff neighborhood. So far, 33 have either been built or are under construction, he said.

Barbara Lichman, an attorney representing Huntington Seacliff Homeowners’ Assn., said residents are pleased at the moratorium. She said the houses, because of their height, should have gone through a special permit process or received a conditional-use permit. Without such a review, she said, residents were unaware of the size of the homes that would be developed in their neighborhood.