City Ponders Zone to Fight Blight

Amid an Orange County coastline marked by dramatic ocean vistas and luxury homes, a small corner of Huntington Beach sticks out with the sights, sounds and smells of old industry.

A short distance from people surfing at Huntington State Beach is the AES Corp.’s power plant, with its two, 214-foot-tall stacks towering above the coastal palms. Nearby are scattered a dozen fuel-storage tanks, some still in use, others empty and rusting, waiting to be dismantled. And there’s the infamous landfill, a fence-enclosed, 40-acre plot stuffed with a mix of hazardous waste such as sulfuric acid, fuel oils, and styrene, as well as solid wastes such as concrete, asphalt and even abandoned vehicles.

Convinced the district in southeast Huntington Beach could do with a face lift, the city is considering the controversial step of declaring the area “blighted” and moving forward with an ambitious redevelopment plan.

Planners envision cleaning up contaminated soil and replacing some of the old industry with “green-friendly” businesses as well as seaside housing tracts.

But not everyone believes a redevelopment zone is the solution for the problems of the area, which remains the last vestige of Huntington Beach’s once-robust energy industry. Although many agree improvements are needed, critics question whether a full-scale redevelopment would work.

“I have a long history of examining redevelopment in this city, and our track record is pathetic,” said Debbie Cook, a member of the City Council and an attorney. “Virtually every project we’ve done has gone under in some fashion.”

Still, the city is moving ahead with its proposal, scheduling community workshops, public hearings and hiring a consultant to conduct a feasibility study of the proposal.

Much of the criticism over the plan focuses not on the idea of improving the district but on whether a redevelopment zone should be created.

Cook believes that redevelopment has proven to be a costly and ineffective approach to revitalizing rundown areas. In southeast Huntington Beach, much can be accomplished just by rezoning some of the property, say, from commercial to residential, she said. “We don’t need redevelopment to change the zoning; we could do that right now,” she said.

And some residents who live near the proposed zone are not convinced it’s the best idea, either.

George Mason, a member of the executive board of the Southeast Huntington Beach Neighborhood Assn., said the area can “meet the blight test without too much trouble.” But he questions if redevelopment would produce enough tax revenue to make it worthwhile.

Creating a redevelopment zone would allow the city to use any increases in property taxes that resulted from improvements for projects in that area. If, for example, the landfill site was cleaned up and homes were built there, as has been suggested, the tax increases would go to the redevelopment agency rather than the city’s general fund.

But it’s not that simple, said Cook. There are many costs associated with creating a redevelopment zone, such as city-employee time, consultants and administrative costs. She’s also not convinced the city’s vision for the land will be accepted by residents near the area, who worry about adding too much development.

Area residents “want the [landfill] cleaned up and turned into a park,” Cook said. “But redevelopment doesn’t work that way. You have to have development that will increase the property tax.”

Much of Huntington Beach once looked like the southeast district, with oil towers rising from the shore. But over the last half-century, much of that oil-extraction business has given way to residential and commercial development. In just the last decade, the city’s western edge, once dotted by scores of wells, has been transformed into luxury home developments.

The southeast area, however, still carries the legacy of this industrial past--including the pollution.

David Biggs, director of the city’s economic development department, the agency spearheading the proposal, insists the city still doesn’t have a final plan for the area.

“Part of what we’re doing now is consulting with the community on their vision,” he said.

He also noted that redevelopment could finally be the key to some of the more troublesome spots in the area, like the Ascon landfill.

The site operated as a landfill from 1935 to 1984. Until 1971, the waste dumped there was primarily what resulted from drilling at the numerous oil wells in the area. After 1971 the site was a repository for solid waste.

It has been on the state Superfund list of toxic and hazardous waste sites for years, but no state funds are available for its cleanup.

“Several owners [of the property] have tried to clean it up and have gone broke,” said Mason.

Biggs believes that redevelopment may finally provide the answer.

The state Department of Toxic Substance Control has had 20 years to clean the area, he said. And the notion that the state will track down all the old polluters and make them pay for the cleanup is a big if. “If we, in the meantime, cleaned up the site [using redevelopment funds], whatever money the state could find would go to the redevelopment agency.”

Biggs noted that creating a redevelopment zone often means enacting the right of eminent domain, a policy that allows the government to take possession of property, typically forcing people to relocate.

“I think for most people, the part of redevelopment they fear is eminent domain, but that won’t be used in the southeast area,” Biggs said.

Biggs concedes that redevelopment carries some baggage, but said it is the best solution. “People like it or they don’t like it,” he said of redevelopment. “The only thing I’m looking at is that this area . . . certainly needs some help.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

A New Look?

The 289 acres of Southeast Huntington Beach proposed as a redevelopment zone by city officials include old fuel storage tanks and a former landfill. The 289 acres of Southeast Huntington Beach proposed as a redevelopment zone by city officials include old fuel storage tanks and a former landfill.