Residents plan to sue city

Several Huntington Beach residents plan to file a lawsuit against the city Friday alleging it broke state environmental laws by approving the Downtown Specific Plan’s Environmental Impact Report.

A group of residents called the Huntington Beach Neighbors is trying to raise $120,000 for the legal fees needed to take on the city, because the residents believe officials violated the California Environmental Quality Act by not adequately analyzing the impacts the plan will have on downtown residents.

The plan is a long-range document that dictates building and parking specifications and design guidelines. The plan will increase development over the next 20 years. The plan and its Environmental Impact Report were approved by the City Council on Nov. 2 and must go before the California Coastal Commission for approval.

The residents behind the lawsuit are creating a coalition of other groups, including the Huntington Beach Residents for a Balanced Downtown, to take on the specific plan. The group launched www.hbneighbors.com.

Huntington Beach Neighbors member David Rice said there are good things in the plan, but also a lot of negatives. The group claims there are issues with the report’s analysis of parking, noise, lighting and the future impact any development would put on police services. Without restrictions on the plan, it will lead to the destruction of the downtown neighborhoods, Huntington Beach Neighbors spokeswoman Angela Rainsberger said.

“What it will take to avoid the lawsuit is to reduce the size of the Downtown Specific Plan,” Rainsberger said.

In addition to reducing the overall size of the plan, the coalition wants to control and reduce the number of liquor licenses downtown and increase the buffer zones to the neighborhoods. Residents are also concerned with the final wording of the plan and said they have been requesting its release. Rainsberger said they want to make sure the wording for a 99-seat theater at the Main Street Library doesn’t allow a bigger one.

Mayor Pro Tem Cathy Green said she thought the council did a good job and gave the residents almost everything they wanted. Green said the council protected the Main Street Library and Triangle Park and put in restrictions on conditional use permits for alcohol use.

“We’re just trying to protect the downtown, and I thought we listened very carefully to what they wanted,” Green said.

Green reopened the plan, however, to try to change her vote on density allowances.

The plan will be reopened Jan. 19, which will reopen the entire hearing, said City Atty. Jennifer McGrath. The public will be able to speak about any issue in the plan, and the council can change any of its previous decisions.

Rice said he hopes it will be an opportunity to get his group’s foot in the door, but doesn’t believe the council members are interested in talking about anything other than density.

“We’re kind of down to the wire at this point,” Rice said.

Rice originally filed an appeal with the council over the Planning Commission’s certification of the report, along with Councilwoman Jill Hardy.

Members of the Huntington Beach Neighbors have been talking to council members to try to avoid litigation, Rainsberger said.

Residents’ groups have rallied against the plan and a feasibility study on a rumored cultural center, the crux of much of the issues, was leaked to the Independent.

One of the main opponents, the Huntington Beach Downtown Residents Assn., is not supporting the lawsuit, spokesman Kim Kramer said.

Residents have spoken during public comment periods at study sessions and at both the Planning Commission and City Council public hearings, but residents’ pleas to stop or pare down the plan have fallen on deaf ears, Rice said.

“I think that the interest in getting people’s opinions is disingenuous,” Rice said.