The Bolsa Chica Drama

The battle over the future of development at Bolsa Chica has been a procession of seemingly decisive moments. After a period of intense lobbying, a long Coastal Commission meeting last week produced yet another “second act” in one of Orange County’s longest-running plays. It resulted in the approval of development on a much smaller piece of property above the wetlands than the developer had anticipated.

This has been a long, strange journey. The original proposal for a marina, hotels and 5,700 homes on 1,547 acres shrunk over the years while a series of court rulings and environmental battles raged over the mesa and nearby wetlands. The developer, Hearthside Homes, now will be required to limit construction to a 65-acre portion of the mesa, and not use as much of that property as it had planned. The commission staff had recommended restricting the development in the aftermath of litigation that had set various conditions, which the developer says have been met. This obviously is a substantial victory for the environmentalists, especially when viewed in the context of the history of proposals for the property.

As dramatic as Thursday’s hearing was, those hoping for quick resolution still could be disappointed. This is, after all, Bolsa Chica, always full of new twists and turns. Hearthside’s assertion before the vote that a scaled-back development would be unfeasible economically surely will be put to a reality test. It also has asserted that there has been no serious interest expressed in buying this expensive piece of land as an alternative.

There perhaps always could be the possibility of further legal action, but in any event, then what? If building smaller really doesn’t pencil out, will anyone now come forward to buy the property? The hope of getting the land set aside has been expressed by the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, a late-but-now-powerful player on the scene. But it and other interested parties would face their own test of cash resources.

While uncertainty now prevails, it is worth remembering that at least the big battle over the wetlands has been resolved to the satisfaction of various parties. The mesa, where the housing is to go, is the tough part. If there is anything that the community can be reasonably sure of, it is that questions over the development will remain.