The City Council on this week tentatively approved the sale of 4197 Ironwood Ave. The sale would be for $1.28 million unless something goes wrong, in which case the house would go to the second highest bidder at $1.25 million.
The vote was 4 to 1. District Four Council Member/Mayor Schelly Sustarsic cast the dissenting vote.
To be technical, the council is formally making an offer to the buyer to sell the property on the condition that it remain a single-family use property. If the buyer agrees, the council will approve the contract at the March 25 City Council meeting.
This was originally a Consent Calendar item, but Sustarsic pulled the item for separate consideration. Citing concerns about flooding and no solutions on the horizon, she said she wanted a council discussion before they voted.
“We just need help,” she said.
During the public comment part of the council meeting, which is now held before the council looks at the Consent Calendar, many residents of College Park East objected to the sale. According to several speakers, the property was originally bought as a step toward relieving flooding in College Park East. However, according to those speakers, roughly a decade passed without anything being done.
Staff, however, argued that keeping the property wasn’t going to solve the problem.
Public Works Director Lee said she thought that along Ironwood there are other opportunities to move storm water over to the golf course area. Lee also argued that building a pump station in the Ironwood area would be invasive to the immediate community. She said staff had identified another location.
District One Council Member Joe Kalmick wanted to know if the money from the property sale would stay in College Park East.
According to Community Development Director Alexa Smittle the council could specifically keep the money in College Park East.
District Five Councilman Nathan Steele favored selling the property, but thought the money should be used for College Park East.
District Three Councilwoman Lisa Landau wanted to know if the city could negotiate with the buyer to have a covenant to prevent multi-unit development of the land.
City Attorney Nicholas Ghirelli said the city could make that a condition of the sale.
Sustarsic wanted to take time to look at the plan, possibly after a town hall on flooding in College Park East.
Moore moved approval of the sale, provided the buyer agrees to limit the property to a single-family residence. He wanted the money set aside for storm water improvements. The motion did not specify improvements for College Park East.
Ghirelli suggested adding that to the council resolution. Ghirelli said the council was basically approving a counter offer.
Ghirelli said the resolution would approve the contract. He said if the council wanted to wait until after the town hall, then the council decision would be to take no action that night.
Moore withdrew his motion.
Steele moved making a counter offer, subject to the council approving the contract on March 25. Steele’s motion was the motion that won.
Public Comment
Patty Campbell, a planning commissioner and former council member, asked the council to delay the sale. She was one of eight people who opposed the sale. Most of the speakers were from College Park East. Campbell said the house was the key to solving CPE’s drainage problem.
Campbell also said money from the city’s transient occupancy tax was supposed to go for College Park East drainage. Campbell told the council to dig out the drainage plan and take a look at it.
“This is not a contest to see who has a worse drainage problem, Old Town or College Park East,” she said. “You’ve got a lot of water and it needs to be taken care of.”
Mike Jenkins, also of College Park East, said the city needed to look at options.
“Every January, I’m filling sandbags,” he said. Jenkins said that this January, Seal Beach ran out of sandbags.
Background
The council directed staff to dispose of the property on Feb. 13, 2023, according to the Feb. 26 staff report by Community Development Director Alexa Smittle. “The Property is a single-family home located in the College Park East neighborhood, which was originally purchased to provide a location for certain stormwater network improvements. However, since that time, additional focused studies have been performed, and the estimated costs to mitigate stormwater deficiencies have increased dramatically, with estimates upwards of $50 million,” Smittle wrote.
“When the Property was vacated by the residential tenant, staff requested Council direction and subsequently moved forward with the steps necessary to dispose of the home,” Smittle wrote.
“Several offers were received, with the three highest being all cash offers, the highest for $1,280,000 and two for $1,250,000,” Smittle wrote.
