Editor’s Notebook

Danette Goulet

In less than five years, developers plan to turn all the various

Downtown dirt piles along Pacific Coast Highway into hotels with shopping

and entertainment venues.

Plans call for o7 fourf7 hotels along Pacific Coast Highway.

There are two schools of thought on this and I agree with both.

There are those who would preserve the current small surf town feel of

Huntington. Those people detest the Hyatt that is currently on its way up

now. They have probably protested The Strand, which would convert the

first couple blocks off Main Street, by 5th Street and Walnut Avenue to a

plaza with 102,000-square-feet of shopping and a 140-room hotel.

They will certainly object to Pacific City, the 31-acre site just north of the Waterfront Hilton.

Pacific City promises to be a sprawling hotel, shopping, dining

entertainment venue along Pacific Coast Highway with high-end condos

behind.

In some way they are right to be concerned about these projects. Let

me tell you why.

Pacific Coast Highway, is a road that people actually use -- it is a

computer thoroughfare.

I moved here two years ago from south Florida. In south Florida there

is a road that runs along the ocean as Pacific Coast Highway does called

Ocean Boulevard. Like PCH, it was beautiful and scenic. It was also a

parking lot in every downtown along the coast.

Luckily, one block in was a road called Federal Highway. Federal

Highway is what you actually travel on.

For this redevelopment of Downtown Huntington Beach to work, we need a

Federal Highway here. Without that we may just face a nightmare.

Then there is the other faction that couldn’t be more excited about

the future of Huntington Beach as a tourist destination. These

developments will bring in revenue and really put Surf City on the map,

they say.

To me, there are clear benefits to this.

No. 1 I am, if nothing else, a patriot. I’m already proud of my city,

but I’d be happy to brag even more. I’m going to shop at Victoria’s

Secret, Express and Abercrombie and Fitch regardless, so why not be able

to do it Downtown at The Strand.

There are many clear financial benefits it seems, and the people

watching will only get better.

Besides -- I don’t think too many tourists surf, so they aren’tlikely

to crowd the lineup.

Seriously though, I think Huntington Beach has tremendous potential

and I look forward to enhancements.

I just hope every precaution is taken to ensure that the changes are

enhancements and that they better the life of residents and not have

adverse effects. As for those just opposed to any change, it is

inevitable.

Change is a part of life.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at o7 danette.goulet@latimes.comf7 .