H.B. approves development guidelines for Sunset Beach

The Huntington Beach City Council voted unanimously this week to approve a local coastal program for Sunset Beach, despite concerns from residents who said changes made to a previous plan would take away from the area’s uniqueness.

Sunset Beach, an 85-acre community northwest of Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway, was annexed by Huntington Beach in August 2011. Before the annexation, it had a local coastal program adopted by Orange County. Such a program is a set of guidelines designed to aid public agencies for developments in coastal areas.

The annexation nullified the coastal program, and because there is no active program in place, residents and developers have to submit development projects to the California Coastal Commission for approval. A coastal program can help streamline the process.

Changes the City Council approved Monday include measuring the height of buildings in the area from the centerline of the frontage street, a method intended to conform with the way other coastal buildings are measured. A 35-foot height limit would remain.

Other changes include not restricting temporary decks and patios that encroach onto the beach and encouraging “green” practices in new developments.

The program will need approval from the Coastal Commission at a future meeting.

More than a dozen Sunset Beach residents spoke at the council meeting Monday, with some saying the height restrictions would make for inferior building designs and even allow for high-density projects and mixed-use developments.

Resident Susan Taylor said developers often have exceeded the 35-foot height limit in Sunset Beach, and she believes that will continue.