Bolsa Chica Developer to Give Oral Arguments

A judge will hear oral arguments Friday in a developer’s legal challenge to a California Coastal Commission decision that restricts home building to the upper tier of the Bolsa Chica mesa.

After Superior Court Judge Sheridan Reed in San Diego issued a tentative ruling last week, landowner Signal Landmark and developer Hearthside Homes requested oral arguments on the matter. California Coastal Communities, parent of both companies, wants to build on both tiers of the mesa.

A marina, hotel and 5,700 homes were once envisioned for the area, but plans have been scaled back repeatedly after legal challenges from environmentalists. The Coastal Commission in November limited development to 1,235 homes on a 65-acre upper portion of the mesa--the decision that Signal and Hearthside are challenging in court. They argue that if development is restricted so severely, the project will no longer be financially viable.

In a press release Tuesday, California Coastal Communities said it is “encouraged by the aspects of the tentative ruling that were resolved in its favor” but will argue against other parts of the ruling and will present “clarifications and new facts in support of its position.”