HARRIETT WIEDER -- COMMUNITY COMMENTARY

I don’t believe it. Your story reporting the Coastal Commission staff’s

recommendations for the development of the Bolsa Chica properties of

Hearthside Homes in Huntington Beach reads like a horror story. Is this

really only in America?

I speak from more than 30 years involvement and leadership in bringing to

resolution a win-win situation for the American dream of home ownership.

As the county supervisor, I helped to reduce 6,000 homes to 1,200. I

helped save for restoration 1,200 acres for wetlands by the state. I

established the Bolsa Chica Conservancy to ensure the birds, animals,

fish habitats. And this was done with the negotiations and partnership of

the landowner, not to overlook the millions of taxpayers’ dollars that

have gone into planning, public hearings and city and county staff time.

Now that it appears possible that man will be able to live compatibly

with nature, now that the environmental components of the site are

preserved, an irresponsible and unreasonable bureaucracy is trying to

prevail to deny opportunities for families to own a home near the ocean.

Your news stories are constantly telling your readers that there are not

enough homes for the ever-growing population in Orange County, and yet

here is a plan that overwhelmingly protects the environment and provides

for our families. The Coastal Commission staff should be ashamed of

themselves -- people matter, too.

The plan before the Coastal Commission provides homes, a regional park

for the second supervisorial district, a new school, a fire station and

needed traffic improvements for people. Thirty years of taxpayers’

dollars have been spent on trying to bring this land use to a conclusion.

The time is now to culminate the spending with this balanced plan.

* HARRIETT WIEDER is a former member of the Huntington Beach City Council

and the Orange County Board of Supervisors.