State Enters Dispute Over Bolsa Chica

A state agency on Wednesday entered talks over the controversial Bolsa Chica development plan in an attempt to mediate differences between Huntington Beach and the developer, Koll Real Estate Group.

An official from the state Office of Permit Assistance met with representatives from the city, Koll and Orange County. Authorities were tight-lipped about what ensued but said talks will continue.

“It’s more important to solve the problem than to make any comment,” Mayor Victor Leipzig said, adding that another meeting is planned with the city, county and Koll and that the state has offered to help if asked.

“We’re continuing to dialogue to understand each other’s issues and to possibly resolve them, which is good,” said Lucy Dunn, the Koll group’s senior vice president.

Koll hopes to build as many as 3,300 homes on a portion of the Bolsa Chica wetlands and on a nearby mesa, a proposal that has sparked widespread debate.

Huntington Beach officials hope to persuade Koll to make changes in its plan before it goes before the California Coastal Commission the week of Nov. 13-17 in Los Angeles.

City officials said the state initially suggested the meeting.

The Office of Permit Assistance received an official request from the city early this month, said office Director Victor Holanda, who is also a non-voting member of the Coastal Commission.

One change sought by the city is the addition of a wetlands buffer along the top of the Bolsa Chica mesa. A buffer would protect the bluff and wetlands restoration from the areas to be developed while providing public access, city officials have said. Koll contends that adequate buffers already are included in the plan, Dunn said.

The city also wants a proposed roadway on the mesa to be redesigned to separate homes from the wetlands-restoration area. It has called for preserving and protecting the wetlands and ensuring the project’s density is consistent with adjacent Huntington Beach neighborhoods.

In July, the city hired Susan McCabe of the consulting firm Rose & Kindal to lobby the Coastal Commission about its concerns regarding the Koll project, which would be located in an unincorporated area surrounded by Huntington Beach. The Wednesday meeting came amid uncertainty about the future of restoration plans for the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

The Koll group last week rejected an offer by the U.S. Department of the Interior to buy the wetlands for $17.5 million. The federal government planned to restore the wetlands, while Koll built 2,500 homes on the mesa. It remains unclear whether talks will continue.