New home selected for cottage
Early this week a work crew began digging the trench for the future home of the last beach cottage in Seal Beach.
Work began Monday to prepare a space for the historic building in Founders Square, the area of the Greenbelt on which the Red Car Museum presently stands next to the Mary Wilson Library.
Last week, the City Council voted unanimously to accept Melanie and Don Blayney’s offer to give their 115-year-old cottage to Seal Beach.
According to Mayor Ellery Deaton, the cottage could be moved within the next two weeks. She said the concrete foundation would need seven to 10 days to cure before the cottage could be relocated. The Seal Beach Host Lions Club have offered to lend their status as a 503(c) non-profit to raise funds for the renovation of the cottage. Sun Publisher Vince Bodiford pledged $5,000 in advertising to support the cottage renovation fund raising effort.
Planning Commissioner Deb Machen has volunteered to chair the fund raising drive.
City staff has estimated that the cost of moving and renovating the cottage would be at least $62,500, which include $22,500 to move the building and undetermined renovation costs.
Deaton said the city has already received offers from individuals to help renovate the cottage.
“The community was strongly in favor of it,” Deaton said.
While the council unanimously supported the plan, some individual citizens had concerns about the cost of the project, the proposal to locate the cottage on the Greenbelt and the speed at which the council was moving.
The council met in closed session Monday, June 29, to discuss real estate negotiations for the cottage.
The council voted publicly to accept the donation of the cottage Thursday, July 2. Work on the Greenbelt began Monday morning, July 6.
Charles Antos said the specific plan for the Greenbelt calls for a library, the Red Car Museum, lots of trees, parking and no other structure. Antos said that amending the specific plan would require public hearings before the Planning Commission and the City Council.
According to City Attorney Craig Steele, the Greenbelt specific plan allows for improvements and exhibits of the city’s history. Steele said the specific plan does not prohibit building on the Greenbelt.
Development Services Director Jim Basham said the Greenbelt specific plan was created to allow the display of history. He called the donation of the beach cottage a unique part of the city’s history. He said there was no need to amend the specific plan.
Antos also said the project would require a permit from the California Coastal Commission.
Steele argued that relocating the non-habitable structure was exempt from the coastal permit requirement.
Carla Watson said she has worked for preserving the city’s heritage her whole life. However, she said the process needed to be longer. She said she had an issue with putting a structure on an open space that the community had fought to keep.
Seth Eaker proposed the creation of a city Historical Commission to set policies for historic preservation in the future. He supported placing the beach cottage on the Greenbelt for now.
Barbara Barton, a supporter of the Mary Wilson Library, said people didn’t remember the fight to put the library branch on the Greenbelt. Barton supported placing the cottage on the Greenbelt.
Libby Appelgate, who was part of the original effort to preserve the Greenbelt, supported the placement of the cottage there.
District Five Councilwoman Sandra Massa-Lavitt said there wasn’t a person in the audience who had not complained that government is too slow.
“This will never happen again,” said Massa-Lavitt, apparently referring to the opportunity to preserve the beach cottage. “This is the only one left.”
