Compromise Reached on Use of 183 Acres in Seal Beach

A plan that would transform 183 acres of this city’s last open-space area into a 66-home development with an 18-hole public golf course and wilderness area has received “preliminary approval” by members of the owning Hellman family, a spokesman said Thursday.

“We just need to make sure everything is tightened up, but at the same time we’re going to move ahead,” said Dave Bartlett, a land use consultant who is representing Hellman Properties. “It’s a preliminary approval, essentially.”

The Hellman Ranch property is on Seal Beach Boulevard across from the U.S. Naval Weapons Station.

The proposed plan was quietly negotiated by Councilwoman Gwen Forsythe and family representatives over the past four years, after the city rejected a Mola Development Corp. proposal to build 329 homes on a smaller portion of the property. That proposal fueled five years of debate and legal challenges.

The new project, to be developed by the Hellman family, includes the restoration of 27 acres of wetlands, preservation of a 10-acre wilderness park and a trail system to allow public access.

Hellman Properties is expected to submit final plans to the city this summer, which would require environmental reviews and approval by the Planning Commission, City Council and the California Coastal Commission, according to Bartlett, who estimated the approval process could take a year to complete.

“We’ve spent the last couple of years trying to figure out what’s acceptable to the community, the environment and the ownership,” Bartlett said. “We expect a more formal agreement next month or so, but we’re moving forward.”

Mayor Marilyn Bruce Hastings said the development would increase the value of the surrounding homes and transform what is now a barren section of the city.

“It would be such a plus for the city,” Hastings said. “I’m just as high as a kite over the whole thing.”