Bolsa Chica mesa owners behind sale

Paul Clinton

One of the largest contributors to groups supporting Proposition

50, the statewide initiative that could lead to the sale of at least

100 acres of the Bolsa Chica mesa, is landowner Signal Landmark.

Signal has given $350,000 to the Conservation Action Fund and the

California Conservation Campaign, two leading contributors to

Proposition 50, records show. A section of that initiative, set to go

to voters on Nov. 5, would mean the land could be set aside as a

publicly-owned wildlife preserve.

It is the first time funding to purchase the mesa has been

included in a statewide measure. The initiative, known as the Clean

Water and Coastal Protection Bond of 2002, has been supported by both

environmentalists and developers.

If the plan proceeds, it would substantially limit construction by

developer Hearthside Homes, the devolvement arm of Signal, curtailing

its nearly 30-year effort to build on the mesa. Three decades ago,

developers initially planned to construct 5,700 homes on 1,700 acres

of the Bolsa Chica, but in recent years have limited construction

plans to the approximately 260-acre mesa.

But even if groups bidding to purchase the lower portion of the

mesa can close escrow, the plan to build 387 homes on the upper mesa

would still move forward as planned, Mayor Debbie Cook said.

“They still want to build homes [on the upper mesa],” Cook said.

“They just would like to be paid for the land they can’t build on.”

Hearthside Vice President Lucy Dunn did not return calls seeking

comment.

Signal and Hearthside are among a handful of groups that lobbied

initiative organizers for the inclusion of the Bolsa Chica provision,

initiative spokeswoman Fiona Hutton said. However they didn’t write

the specific language, she said.

“They did not write the language,” Hutton said. “They’re not

moving or directing [the campaign].”

Hearthside’s bid to build on the lower mesa hit the skids in

November 2000, when the California Coastal Commission allowed

development on 65 acres on the upper mesa with the stipulation that

the remainder of the mesa be left as a foraging area for raptors.

Hearthside had planned to build homes on 183 acres.

Hearthside and Signal filed a joint lawsuit, Jan. 12, 2001,

challenging that decision. They argued that the decision to limit the

project to 65 acres hindered their right to fully develop the

property.

A San Diego Superior Court judge dismissed sections of the lawsuit

in August of 2001, yet some claims still remain.

It’s not surprising, environmentalists and city leaders say, that

the developers are ready to sell the lower mesa, since efforts to

build there have been stymied.

Two environmental groups, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust and Amigos de

Bolsa Chica, have led the local fight against the homes. They have

enjoyed tremendous support within the community. At one point,

members of the City Council proposed buying the land for the city.

“If they get the right price, why wouldn’t they sell it,” said

Evan Henry, the land trust’s president. “To the extent that this

represents an opportunity to sell, it’s in their best interest.”

The land trust has endorsed Proposition 50, which would raise

$3.44 billion for wetlands and watershed protection. The initiative

has also been endorsed by the Huntington Beach Chamber of Commerce,

which counts Dunn as a member of its board.

City leaders and environmentalists said the bond would go a long

way toward protecting the mesa for years to come. Councilman Shirley

Dettloff, a coastal commissioner and founder of the Amigos group,

said she expects voters to support the initiative.

“What we’re trying to do with this bond issue is to guard against

the future [development],” Dettloff said. “They have an interest in

selling this property. They’ve said all along ‘show us the money.’”