388 Houses OKd for Bolsa Chica Mesa

In one of Southern California’s longest environmental battles, the Orange County Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a dramatically scaled-back housing development on the upper mesa of the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

The unanimous vote, taken after a heated public hearing dominated by the plan’s opponents, marked the fourth time the county has approved development of the coastal wetlands area in Huntington Beach. It also set the stage for what developers hope will be the final showdown on the matter before the California Coastal Commission early next year.

“I am amazed that all of you ... don’t understand the history [of this] and the right of property owners to develop their property,” Commissioner Shirley Commons Long said in moving for approval. “The wetlands are saved--this project has gone to amazing extremes to do it right and do it well.”

Flossie Horgan of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, which has long opposed any development on or near the wetlands, said the group will appeal the Planning Commission’s decision to the county Board of Supervisors.

Wednesday’s action “was predictable,” she said, “because the county has consistently supported the developer. We weren’t surprised by this, but it doesn’t mean we’re just going to accept their findings.”

Under the latest plan, Hearthside Homes would build 388 homes on about 106 acres in the upper-level area of the mesa. Lucy Dunn, executive vice president of the company, said after Wednesday’s vote: “We know the commissioners took a long, hard look at this plan. They’ve been studying this for more than 30 years, so clearly they are very knowledgeable on the issue. We believe it’s a good plan, and we hope the Coastal Commission will find it consistent with the Coastal Act.”

Many earlier development plans have been thwarted by the commission, however.

In 1970, Hearthside’s sister company, Signal Landmark, acquired the property and proposed building as many as 5,700 homes and a marina on about 1,700 acres. That plan was eventually approved by both the county and the Coastal Commission.

A lawsuit filed by an environmental group led to the project’s being scaled back to about 3,300 homes. A series of legal and political skirmishes led to further reductions in the plan’s scope. Two years ago the Coastal Commission prohibited the company, which was then proposing 1,235 homes, from building anywhere but on the upper mesa.

“They made a modification so substantial that it made the plan unfeasible,” Dunn said. The company filed a lawsuit challenging that decision. In the meantime, Dunn said, the company drew up the more modest plan approved Wednesday. “We believe it’s a balanced project for both people and the environment,” she said.

Critics speaking at the hearing disagreed vociferously.

“This is not the kind of housing we need,” said Armida H. Brashears, a longtime Huntington Beach resident. “The wetlands is a precious, irreplaceable asset. Our children and grandchildren will hold us responsible if we don’t protect it.”

Joey Racano voiced similar objections. “Building more huge, decadent homes,” he said, “will not solve our housing problem. A wind of change is coming over Orange County. The community is crying out to save this land.”