California Resources Corporation wants to develop 92 acres of Huntington Beach’s pristine coast with an 800-unit hotel-retail village.
The Long Beach-based energy company has filed plans to build the mixed-use development on industrial land between the northwest edge of downtown and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, near Bolsa Chica State Beach, the Orange County Business Journal reported.
Plans call for up to 800 homes, a 350-room hotel, and shops and restaurants on 1.2 miles of coast between Goldenwest and Seapoint streets, next to the reserve and the Bolsa Chica Basin State Marine Conservation Area.
The proposed housing includes single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums, with 10 percent of the homes set aside for affordable housing. Some 23 acres would be left for open space.
The proposed project would require a zoning change and approvals from the California Coastal Commission and Huntington Beach City Council.
A cost and timeline for the project were not disclosed. California Resources said the industrial land must be restored for residential use — and that its redevelopment “would take years to realize, if at all.”
The Bolsa Chica wetlands has for decades been subject to intense dispute between conservationists and developers, according to the Business Journal.
The latest battle was settled in 2016 when the Bolsa Chica Land Trust announced an agreement to buy 11 acres of disputed property.
As part of its 23 acres of open space, the energy company proposes a public park along Pacific Coast Highway.
“The goal of this project is to shape the future of the property with the evolving needs of the local community,” Bob Grundstrom, senior vice president of business development for California Resources, said in a statement.
“We recognize the importance of thoughtful growth and understand the community’s concerns about high-density housing — and that’s not what this is,” he said. “By transitioning the property from an industrial site to a mixed-use community, we’re not only creating housing and economic opportunities but also ensuring that this coastal asset serves residents and visitors for generations to come.”
California Resources Corporation, founded in 2011 as a spinoff of Occidental Petroleum, has a $3.2 billion market cap and develops and produces crude oil, natural gas and other petroleum products, with oil and gas fields across the state.
— Chris Malone Méndez
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