I was born less than five miles away, have resided in Seal Beach since 1975, raised four children in this town, have operated my own residential and investment real estate brokerage company, Seaquest Ventures Realty, for decades and recently completed my own single family construction at First and Marina.
I have observed a public taking of private property and the denial of constitutional rights.
The public taking of private property is in the guise of “what’s best for the citizens of Seal Beach” and is being done by a small group of private citizens.
This same small group of private citizens does not represent me. Nor do I believe that they represent even half of our city’s residents. Of course, how would we know? Their radical agenda has never been put to the public question.
I have never seen this group support private property rights or constitutional rights. Yet they manage to obstruct individuals’ productive and legal use of their own property regularly and without logical reason.
Ten years ago I represented Bay City Partners. From the outset, it was their goal to convert into good and productive public and private use what had been a wasteland of 10 prime acres that had been sitting neglected for over 20 years. Like our pioneer fathers, they had courageously sought out, fought with and negotiated with Los Angeles’ behemoth Department of Water and Power attorneys so that this blighted property in their town could flourish.
After they secured ownership, I approached them with interested developers.
At first I was instructed to secure buyers complimentary to the zoning. We hoped this would be a buyer of substantial assets who would be able to make the jewel that was in this property shine.
However, no hotel chain, motel operator, boutique or otherwise, was interested or could find the economic sense to develop this parcel. Included in those who looked at the project were Sheraton, Hilton and local B and B operators. Needless to say, two years’ of effort resulted in near failure due to the zoning on this parcel.
I had learned through the grapevine that, when the DWP abandoned this site, the city administration launched an effort to zone what was an industrial parcel into a commercial/motel parcel. It was thought that commercial/motel zoning would establish the low market value and, if Seal Beach was ever to find funds to acquire and develop this parcel, that zoning would allow them to afford it.
During my two-year marketing effort, we approached many local citizens and investors regarding this parcel. Everyone wanted to see it developed. But the investment capital has not been there. No one wanted to see it develop into a motel with an “open space” park and parking lot at the beach that would invite transients and lots of traffic. We finally began negotiations with one upscale development team from Texas.
They showed us a modest plan of luxury homes and open space. After eight months of negotiations, we were close to a contract. Almost without exception everyone, including those in the locale, preferred the vision of upscale beach homes.
Jim Watson and Wendy Rothman were the two exceptions. They didn’t want to see homes. They didn’t want to see development. They didn’t like the idea of this group benefiting from the development of their own property. That comment was made directly to me.
Our development group made a presentation to a number of locals. Mr. Watson and Ms. Rothman vowed to block any and all development. Their comments drove our development team away. And now I’ve learned what a broad sweeping scope and terrible effect can be made by a minority with a selfish agenda.
What really galls me is how these citizens can ignore the contributions that the Bay City Partners have made to this city. This entire collective of less than a half-dozen people have not contributed what one of these partners has to Seal Beach. In fact, with one exception, the millions in city administrative and legal expenses caused by this small group are their only bragging rights. Bay City Partners as individuals get no thanks or cudos for their efforts, taxed contributions and impressive improvements to our town.
I know them all, have done business with each one of them, and have experienced and witnessed their quality of character, generosity and extreme hard work. They never compromise their character.
Thirty-two years ago I bought my first home on Marina Hill in Seal Beach.
Then along came Frank Mola. Mr. Mola was a successful local builder/developer and he wanted to build homes on the Hellman Ranch. It was dirty land with empty alcohol containers, fallow swamps and has been cited as one of two most contaminated sites for West Nile Virus.
Twenty years before Frank Mola, there had been several other developers, each of whom spent a couple of hundred thousand dollars in the same but unsuccessful effort. Mr. Mola had an agreement with the Hellman Family of San Francisco so he brought his idea to the city.
To their credit, the city told Mr. Mola he’d have to get the approval of our citizens. So Mr. Mola sent mail to each and every resident of Seal Beach asking them what they wanted to see on that property.
The citizens responded in droves and Mr. Mola came up with a plan. It was a plan that much complimented the homes on Marina Hill as well as the Hellman property and had been fully tweaked to meet the requests of the city’s residents.
The city gave Mr. Mola preliminary approval based upon the favorable reaction of our citizens. Before the final approval could be granted, Seal Beach had an election.
I remember Gwen Forsythe approaching me in my husband’s pajama tops taking my clothes out of the dryer in my garage. When she said she would be running for City Council in my district, I plainly and simply told her that she had my vote if she supported the Hellman Ranch project that took so much time and effort to move forward.
Ms. Forsythe pledged her support of that project. When she was elected, the first thing that she did was to deny the project. I can imagine who had gotten to her, that small group of obstructionists. And, due to the extreme expense and risk, Mr. Mola was broken and finished.
The Hellman family subsequently built what is now on that property. It is far fewer homes, doesn’t match the stamp of Marina Hill, is unsightly and out of place and none of the open space has been cleaned or made useful and is still environmentally dangerous.
Why isn’t this obstructionist group lobbying to cure that blight? Because they want their own homes to be the only pearls in the oyster shell of Old Town.
The Planning Commission and City Council should not just be proud to have citizens such as the Bay City Partners but they should be at the head of their parade. Before the Planning Commission and City Council take issue with anyone’s constitutional rights and the future improvements wanting to be made to this city to bring it forward, they should put it to the people, set up a hotline or encourage a newspaper feedback marathon. They should not yield to the self-appointed obstructionists who fail to come up with solutions for our city’s financial challenges or blighted properties.
Thank you for reconsidering the “Ocean Place” project as proposed by Bay City Partners and for giving our town a new lift.
Cynthia Metzger is a Seal Beach resident.
