Car lot on vacant Huntington Beach plot is unacceptable, residents say
A proposal to temporarily use a parcel of land that was formerly a Navy railway as a car storage facility for local auto dealers has sparked outrage among some Huntington Beach residents.
About 80 people crammed into a room at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon for a meeting held by Zoning Administrator Ricky Ramos to discuss the city’s efforts to use an area that was formerly a railroad between Rancho Road and Springdale Street as temporary storage for up to about 900 cars. The vacant parcel is currently covered in overgrown vegetation, but residents say it’s a welcome reprieve from city life.
Huntington Beach has long-term plans to build a trail on the plot, an idea supported by residents, but lack of funds has put that project on hold while a storage area — and the rent that it would bring in — is being pursued.
People from the neighborhoods that border the area said at the meeting that they were concerned about potential safety issues, dust, noise and diminishing property values posed by a car lot.
Resident Dan Jamieson said a lot would encroach on the open space, which is welcomed by residents as a nice break from city life.
“It’s just plain wrong and it should be killed,” he said about the city’s plans.
Christine LeRoy said if the city hopes to continue seeing younger generations buy homes in the community then it needs to preserve open space. She also said she was concerned about harm to property values.
Other residents said they were worried that the presence of new cars in the lot would attract criminals and that the mass of vehicles would be a visual blight in the community.
But Kellee Fritzal, the city’s deputy director of economic development, said a green-screen fence will shield the cars from view. Fritzal, who is acting as the applicant on behalf of the car dealers, added that creating a car lot will not require extensive construction.
The City Council approved the acquisition of the land from the U.S. Navy about a year ago with the intent of using the parcel as part of a regional trail system, according to a notification letter sent to residents from the city.
While the city explores avenues of funding to move forward with the trail system, officials hope to create in the interim the storage area, which they contend will provide some benefits to the community.
The area has been neglected for years, becoming an enclave for crime, trash and homeless, but the storage facility would aid in curtailing these issues, the city’s letter says.
A car lot would ensure security at the site and allow participating auto dealers to “generate sales tax revenues to support the city’s public services,” the letter says.
The application calls for a maximum of five years for the lot and the ability of the city to end the agreement whenever funding for the trail becomes available, the letter says.
Fritzal said at the meeting that the storage space would be a revenue source for the future trail system that could produce about $500,000 over the five-year span.
Resident Brian Waldbaum said he was skeptical of the city’s promise to use the money from the auto dealers for the trail system and wants specific wording to ensure that it is properly earmarked.
Fritzal said officials in the zoning administrator’s office are expected to meet again for a public meeting on April 19 to further discuss and possibly decide the fate of the project. If the plan is approved by Ramos, it can still be appealed to the Planning Commission and the City Council.
Councilman Billy O’Connell made an appearance at the meeting. He said Thursday over the phone that he will be carefully looking into the project.
Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
