EDITORIAL

When will enough be enough for Hearthside Homes and Signal Landmark?

Last month, the Bolsa Chica developer and landowner filed suit against

the California Coastal Commission, claiming the agency illegally “took”

property on the mesa, making development infeasible.

The company is seeking unspecified monetary damages, as well as an

abandonment of the commission’s decision to cut back the amount of

available land on the 230-acre mesa and return to a previous development

proposal.

In November, the commission voted to limit development on the mesa to

65 of the 183 acres planned for Hearthside’s 1,235-unit tract.

Hearthside, in its suit, is claiming that it is “physically infeasible

for Signal to build anything approaching 1,235 homes on the upper bench

[mesa] . . . ,” adding that even if it were possible to build the project

approved by the commission, it would be wholly out of character for the

surrounding neighborhood.

The claim maintains the commission’s action violated state and federal

law, and went against previous approvals of the project.

We certainly sympathize with the developer that it didn’t get all it

wanted. And while we must admit that Hearthside officials have come a

long way from their original plans, we can’t help but remind all parties

involved that the debate over this contentious development has been drawn

out almost 30 years since the state first secured about 300 acres for a

preserve in 1973.

The coastal commission began reviewing the Bolsa Chica coastal plan in

1982, and adopted an intensive development plan for a marina, motel, 500

acres of residential housing, a navigable ocean inlet, a roadway through

the wetlands and 915 acres of wetlands restoration.

Since that time, the plan has been scaled down to its current

incarnation because of appeals from conservationists and efforts by

developers, and the lower area of the wetlands has been purchased by the

ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles for preservation.

Yes, Hearthside Homes and Signal Landmark are limited as to what they

can develop on the Bolsa Chica.

And yes, what they can build is a far cry from what was originally

proposed back in 1982.

But there’s a reason for it.

This land serves as a pit stop for wintering and migratory birds each

year, including raptors and the least tern, a bird marked as endangered

by the state.

But even more importantly, the development of this land is something

that has riled public opinion probably more than any issue in the history

of this town.

Preserving this land is something many have fought to accomplish for

years, and Hearthside Homes and Signal Landmark need to really realize

this.

They should drop the lawsuit.

Whether the coastal commission did or didn’t “take” their land can be

argued again and again.

But what can’t be disputed is that the commission simply did what

many, many residents in this town have asked for. It set aside most of

the beloved Bolsa Chica mesa for preservation and in effect saved it from

development for years to come.

It’s time for 30 years of ugly name-calling and bruising battles to

end.

And Hearthside is in a great position to make that happen now. We urge

them to end the fight.