Huntington Beach moves closer to Linear Park

Kenneth Ma

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The City Council took steps Monday toward

developing a park next to the Bolsa Chica mesa.

Council members voted 7 to 0 to direct city staff to research and

develop a plan to address the future development of the long-delayed

Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park, also known as Linear Park.

Councilman Ralph Bauer said he hopes staff will work with county

officials on a plan to build the portion of the park that is publicly

owned.

The 106-acre parkland is owned by Hearthside Homes, the county and the

city. However, the company plans to designate its 54 acres to the county

if the California Coastal Commission approves a home development for the

mesa that includes the park.

Hearthside Homes is seeking approval from the state agency to build up

to 1,235 homes on the mesa, said Lucy Dunn, Hearthside’s executive vice

president. The commission is expected to make a decision in early

October.

Bauer said the park development has been delayed because:

* Hearthside Homes has yet to donate the land, and the county doesn’t

want to move forward with the park until the land is received;

* part of the publicly owned portion is contaminated;

* the city has been unwilling to supply water to that portion of the

mesa.

In addition, the city- and county-owned portions are subject to

long-term oil leases, although the details are unclear, Bauer said.

In January, the Estates at Seacliff Homeowner’s Assn. filed a lawsuit

against the city that cites the city’s inaction in developing a

neighborhood park.

Rich Barnard, a spokesman for the city, said both sides have agreed to

postpone litigation until the Coastal Commission’s decision in October.

Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff, who also serves on the Coastal

Commission, said the idea to develop the park dates back 20 years.

“It is something that has been promised, and it is going to enhance

the area, and we need additional parkland,” she said.

Mary Ellen Houseal, a member of the Amigos de Bolsa Chica, said the

park will give residents a view of the Bolsa Chica wetlands, and it will

also serve as a connection to Central Park and the Pacific Ocean.