H.B. seeks public’s input on options for Magnolia Tank Farm site

Huntington Beach wants public input on potential environmental impacts of two proposed development scenarios at 21845 Magnolia St.

The 29-acre site, the Magnolia Tank Farm Project, once served as an oil storage and pumping facility. It contained three, 500,000-barrel tanks that were removed in 2017.

It’s about 400 yards from Huntington State Beach and is bordered by the Ascon landfill site, the proposed desalination plant, the Huntington Beach Channel and a 6-foot block wall east of Magnolia Street.

Shopoff Realty Investments, which owns the land, has proposed two development scenarios.

One calls for a mixed-use development comprised of a 211,000-square-foot lodge/guest-house with a maximum 215 rooms, 19,000-square-foot of retail and dining, and up to 250 residential units. It also includes 2.8 acres of coastal conservation area adjacent to the Magnolia Marsh and 2.8-acres of parkland.

The other, dubbed Alternative 1, would eliminate the lodge, guest house and retail components but include a residential development with up to 250 units.

Both proposals would include on- and off-site infrastructure improvements, such as storm-water detention, sanitary sewers and gas, phone and electrical lines.

The draft environmental impact report, which was prepared by Psomas and published by the city Dec. 17, outlines potential impacts to aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and soils, noise, land use and planning, as well as several other factors.

Some potentially significant environmental impacts could include air quality, biological resources, geology and soil, as well as hazardous materials, though the draft includes several mitigation measures to decrease the impact to less-than-significant levels.

Impacts related to noise, greenhouse gas emissions, transportation and traffic were found to be significant and unavoidable, however some were alleviated under Alternative 1.

The Magnolia Tank Farm Project requires several approvals. After public input is collected, city staff and a consultant will address concerns and publish a final environmental impact report before it goes before the Planning Commission and City Council. Public hearings are tentatively scheduled for spring/summer of 2019.

People can review and submit comments on the Magnolia Tank Farm Project’s draft EIR until 5 p.m. Feb. 14 at bit.ly/2LrfxGv.

Copies are available for review at City Hall at 2000 Main Street and the Huntington Beach Public Library Banning Branch at 9281 Banning Ave.

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella