Build, baby, build! Huntington Beach oil, gas facility could give way to 800 homes and a hotel
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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, April 16. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you this week’s TimesOC newsletter with a look at some of the latest local news and events from around the county.
The rich oil pools lying beneath Huntington Beach have, since the first oil well began operating on its shores in May 1920, produced billions of barrels of oil as well as many more billions of cubic feet of natural gas. While over the decades homes sprouted around the drilling operations, not all of the oceanfront land from which liquid gold has been extracted for our seemingly insatiable use has been developed.
Formerly known as Occidental Petroleum’s California operations, the California Resources Corporation, which operates a 92-acre energy facility on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, is seeking to create a residential development on slightly more than half of it, according to this Daily Pilot news item. For that reason, the corporation is applying to the city to rezone its property, which stretches 1.9 miles from Goldwest Street to Seapoint Street, unquestionably a prime location for housing and hotels.
To me, the news is an intriguing counterpoint to “Drill, baby, drill,” the frequent refrain of our current president while he was on the campaign trail last year.
The proposal in Huntington Beach is to build up to 800 residential units on 53 acres — a mixture of single-family detached homes, townhouses and condominiums — and up to 350 hotel rooms on about 16 acres where there would also be some retail and dining options, according to the story. The remaining 23 acres would be reserved as open space.
“The goal of this project is to shape the future of the property with the evolving needs of the local community,” said Bob Grundstrom, C.R.C.’s senior vice president of business development, in a statement. “We recognize the importance of thoughtful growth and understand the community’s concerns about high-density housing — and that’s not what this is. By transitioning the property from an industrial site to a mixed-use community, we’re not only creating housing and economic opportunities but also ensuring that this coastal asset serves residents and visitors for generations to come.”
The news that C.R.C. applied for the zoning change on March 28 comes months after the Huntington Beach City Council unanimously approved the Magnolia Tank Farm Project, which would also be on the site of a former oil pumping and storage facility in southeast Huntington Beach.
This proposed rezoning for the C.R.C. land will have the same hurdles all of our state’s seaside developments face. Not only will the City Council and Planning Commission have to give their blessings to it, but the California Coastal Commission would have to approve any change of the local coastal program.
It could be several years before the project is shovel ready, as the land which has for so long been used for its commercial purposes would have to be restored to make it suitable for homes. In the meantime, according to a C.R.C. spokesperson, it would continue to be operated as it is today.
“Following the required approvals, existing oil and gas facilities would be removed and the site would be restored for future development,” the spokesperson, Nital Patel, said in an email to the Daily Pilot. “We will work closely with the city of Huntington Beach and other relevant agencies to ensure that all environmental and regulatory standards are met throughout the remediation and redevelopment process.”
MORE NEWS
• A dead, young female 50-foot gray whale washed ashore in Huntington Beach on Friday, according to officials with the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. Employees of the center performed a necropsy of the body on Saturday morning, the results of which could be made public within a couple of weeks. The Los Angeles Times reported on the incident and noted that gray whales have been dying in large numbers up and down the Pacific Coast this year and scientists can’t explain the uptick.
• This tidbit is not exclusive to Orange County, but because all of our region felt Monday’s 5.2 earthquake, I’m calling it fair game for this week’s TimesOC newsletter: A couple of hours after the 10:10 a.m. shaker, the San Diego Zoo released to media a video of African elephants in its care at the Safari Park in Escondido setting up a defensive stance known as an “alert circle” to protect the herd’s younger, most vulnerable members. If you haven’t already seen it, take a look; it’s very interesting. The video is embedded in this Times’ article.
• Beach Boulevard in Anaheim is poised to welcome three popular chains, including In-N-Out, Dutch Bros and Dave’s Hot Chicken, which will occupy the corner where Beach meets Lincoln Avenue. These additions are just part of the city’s efforts to revamap a 1.5-mile stretch of the thoroughfare, TimesOC reports.
• Following a protest last month to protect diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Chapman University, several student activists are scheduled to appear at administrative hearings over alleged campus conduct code violations. Apparently their use of megaphones and microphones during their demonstrations ran afoul of the university’s conduct codes regarding amplified sound and left them open to disciplinary action.
• Complaints from residents of a nearby senior living facility about the loud noises emanating from the pickleball courts at Lang Park in Laguna Beach convinced the City Council something had to be done. To that end, an ordinance went into effect last week requiring pickleball players to invest about $100 more for “quiet” paddles or face citations. Via the L.A. Times’ report on the ordinance, I learned there is a grassroots Pickleball Noise Relief Foundation that maintains the volleying of the sport’s unique balls is “a racket like no other!”
• We’ve learned of another Orange County church that’s taking steps toward subdividing some of its property to allow for housing. Officials with Grace Baptist Church in Garden Grove, which has dwindled to a membership of about 30 people, want to continue its ministry and realized that giving up a nearly 2-acre back lot for a 26-unit townhouse development as the best path forward.
PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIME
• Disneyland guests visiting New Orleans Square were evacuated briefly Saturday evening after a naked man exposed himself to others there and, according to a report on Reddit, climbed a tree. Anahiem police took the 38-year-old unclothed visitor from Canada into custody on suspicion of trespassing, public nudity and being under the influence of narcotics.
• In Laguna Beach, also on Saturday and also involving a 38-year-old man, Laguna Beach Fire Department and the Orange County Fire Authority were called to rescue a hapless hiker who fell from a 20-foot shoreline cliff, lifeguards reported in a video shared on Instagram.
• The transient found guilty in the June 30, 2022 murder of a homeless woman and burying her in the yard of his parents’ Huntington Beach mobile home was sentenced Friday to 30 years to life in prison. Antonio Padilla, 37 was convicted Feb. 18 of second-degree murder in the slaying of 60-year-old Regina “Gina” Marie Lockhart.
• When all was said and done in the trial of the Newport Beach doctor accused of dealing drugs, the partially deadlocked jury pondering his fate could agree on finding him guilty of only a single charge out of the 35 they considered. The split verdict came Thursday, after two weeks of testimony and four days of deliberation. The criminal case against Dr. Jeffrey Olsen was initially filed almost eight years ago.
• A Tesla speeding eastbound on Orangethorpe Avenue in Fullerton at 6:45 a.m. Saturday crashed into a pickup truck and then a bus, police said. The two occupants of the Tesla died of injuries sustained during the collision while five other people suffered minor injuries.
SPORTS
• LA28 announced Tuesday the lineup of venues for the 2028 Summer Olympics is nearly complete. In O.C., Anaheim’s Honda Center will host indoor volleyball and Trestles Beach in San Clemente will host surfing competition.
LIFE & LEISURE
• Students attending Edison High School in Huntington Beach can participate in a unique four-year program called CIBACS (Center for International Business and Communication Studies). The Daily Pilot caught up last week with a 2024 graduate of the program, teenager Matthew Hunein, who managed to transform his CIBACS senior project into a dessert shop, Crzookie Cookies and Ice Cream, which recently opened near his former campus.
• On the hunt for a place to take the family out for a special meal this Easter Sunday? Here’s a look at a few Orange County eateries that are offering up some mouthwatering brunches for the holiday.
• A unique tour was given at Fairhaven Memorial Park & Cemetery in honor of Women’s History Month that featured the resting places of some of O.C.s most prominent women. Accomplished early landowner Gail Moulton, who lived from 1878 to 1972, was one of them. But there are many others — a total of 14 trailblazing women were featured in the 45-minute tour.
CALENDAR THIS
• Fullerton Museum Center’s latest exhibit is “Punk OC: From the Streets of Suburbia. On view through Aug. 10, the exhibit focuses on Fullerton’s influential punk scene, the evolution of punk in Orange County and how the local scene influenced national and global punk culture. Ephemera from the county’s punk scene is on display from bands like the Offspring, Social Distortion, Manic Hispanic, Circle Jerks, the Middle Class and the Adolescents. Guitars and drum kits used by the bands are set up and photos, news clippings and sets lists also line the walls.
• Cities throughout O.C. are offering special events related to Easter this weekend, according to EnjoyOrangeCounty.com, many of them including egg hunts and other fun geared toward families. One such example is the free Spring Eggstravaganza at Boisseranc Park, 7520 Dale St., Buena Park, on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Activities will include a petting zoo, bounce houses, games, crafts, entertainment and photo opportunities.
• For backyard gardening enthusiasts: VeggiePalooza Plant Sale will take place at the Arboretum and Botanical Garden at Cal State Fullerton this Thursday and Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Until next week,
Carol
KEEP IN TOUCH
I appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C. (photos welcome!) or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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