HUNTINGTON BEACH : Pact OKd on Library Services for Bolsa Chica

Huntington Beach will be able to recoup its costs to provide library services to residents of the future Bolsa Chica project under an agreement approved this week between the city and Orange County.

Jan Halvorsen, library services manager, said the pact, approved by the City Council on Monday, will allow Bolsa Chica residents to use the city’s libraries without having to pay an annual fee imposed on library users who live outside the city.

Koll Real Estate Group plans to build 2,500 to 3,300 homes in and around the Bolsa Chica wetlands, an unincorporated area surrounded by Huntington Beach.

The agreement calls for the county to transfer 70.5% of its library tax revenue from the Bolsa Chica area to the city on an annual basis, Halvorsen said. Also, the county would pay Huntington Beach $200 of the city-required $300-per-home library development fee.

The city has asked Koll to pay the remaining $100. In a letter to the city last week, Koll President Richard M. Ortwein that said the company is committed to providing the money.

Other issues, however, remain unresolved, including the costs to the city for police and fire services for Bolsa Chica residents, Councilman David Sullivan said.

The city is also lobbying for significant changes to Koll’s development plan, including requiring an open-space buffer between homes and the edge of the mesa overlooking the wetlands. Koll strongly opposes the changes.