Officials Opt for Delay, Not Progress

* The Jan. 7 letter from the mayor and a member of the Huntington Beach City Council is extremely misleading and as usual an attempt to delay, in my opinion, environmentally sound planning and much needed new economic growth. I am saddened that my sincere vote to make the recent City Council “unprecedented unanimous vote” a reality was misused and abused by members of the City Council.

I agreed to seven valid issues that needed debate between the property owner, county government, Coastal Commission and the city. Little did I know that some council members actually had a detailed plan for many of those that were not disclosed at the time of voting for the seven basic principles. If they had been, I would predict failure of the vote.

The position in the letter has no solutions, alternatives or compromises. The county plan establishes the requirement of the property owner to restore about 1,100 acres of their approximate 1,600 acres of privately owned land. It mandates a buffer from 100 to 200 feet between the existing oil fields and wetland environment and the bluff-top residential plan. The supporters of the letter have repeatedly only shown their plan, which takes 100 acres for buffer, roads and infrastructure out of the only developable portion of the non-wetland remaining private property.

I don’t have a problem with that. But, we should pay for the taking of the land or find some way to pay the realistic $10-million value for that property. I’ve presented an opportunity to study, which includes a golf course from which the cash flow could be directed toward a bond payment for such a land taking. Whether a good idea or not, the no-growthers should at least be looking for ways to trade for their “we don’t want any more people living here” true agenda.

Let’s get to work on restoring the wetland so that we can all enjoy it and while the landowner still agrees to foot the bill for the much-needed and often delayed $40-million restoration plan!

DAVE GAROFALO

Council member

Huntington Beach