When people come to Seal Beach, they come for the iconic beach town atmosphere that few coastal communities still encompass. The local residents are almost fanatical about keeping the feel of Old Town firmly entrenched in this reality, and rightly so, if the majority of the residents want to keep it this way.
Real estate developers want to maximize potential profits when they buy in Seal Beach, so they pursue zoning changes and height modifications, and rightly so, if they can achieve their goals.
This is at the heart of our democratic and capitalistic society. I, for one, would hate to see this system change. It is what made America great, and will hopefully still be around in 2012 and beyond.
As most of you that have been following the DWP struggle are aware, I have been firmly on the side of the majority of Old Town in trying to keep the land from being developed the way that the Bay City Partners originally had envisioned. They had every right to try to get the property rezoned to maximize their profits, just as the residents had every right to make sure that the feel of Old Town remained the same.
Obviously, this issue has polarized the population of Old Town. All this has done has left the lot a vacant eyesore, cost the city time and energy and cost the Bay City Partners millions in potential profits.
The reality of the situation is that as long as the Bay City Partners continue to put forth overly aggressive development plans for the DWP land, the property will never reach its true potential as envisioned when the current zoning was enacted. Not only will these changes have to go through the City Council, but also through the Coastal Commission. None of this has a chance of happening unless there is public access to the front 70 percent of the property.
The reality of the situation is also that it seems that the Bay City Partners have finally started to understand that they need to compromise in order to develop the property. I met with Ed Selich, the current project manager a couple of months ago, and he outlined the plan for 70 percent open space on the ocean side of the property, and a housing development on the remainder. This is much closer to the original vision for the land than has previously been presented. I actually believe that single-family housing is a much better use for the developable land than a hotel. It also makes more sense to the Bay City Partners.
However, there are still some issues that I feel need to be resolved before the general population will accept the new proposal. The Bay City Partners want to sell the 70 percent open space back to the city for a substantial amount. If instead, they were to give the land back to the city, fully developed as a natural habitat preserve with a few walking paths, this would establish a great deal of good will towards the project.
The overall density of the development probably needs to be reduced slightly to allow better parking around the complex. A Mello-Roos type tax on the new development to keep up the front
70 percent needs to be figured out. The bike path along the San Gabriel River needs to remain free access permanently, and finally, access to the Rivers End and parking lot needs to be given to the city.
If these issues are resolved, I feel that the general attitude towards the project would be favorable enough to see it approved. Even with all of these concessions by the Bay City Partners, they would still be able to make a HUGE profit on this deal and keep the residents happy. I know that I would wholeheartedly support this type of forward thinking and sound business judgment.
Joel Davidson is a resident of Old Town Seal Beach.
