The approximately 105.9-acre site is located at the northeast corner of the Bolsa Chica Mesa and is generally bounded by Los Patos Avenue to the north, Warner Avenue to the northwest and the terminus of Bolsa Chica Street to the east. A total of 105.3 acres of the site is currently located within the County of Orange. The remaining approximately 0.6-acre portion of the site area is located within the City of Huntington Beach between the existing Sandover homes and the Brightwater Development Project.
Brightwater will be annexed to the City of Huntington Beach in multiple phases as homes are constructed consistent with a Pre-annexation Agreement between the City and Hearthside Homes. Open space areas on the perimeter of the residential development will also be annexed into the City in phases.
Environmental Review
The Draft Negative Declaration (DND) analyzes potential impacts associated with the project, which involves three components: 1) annexation of the Brightwater Development Project (BDP) into the City of Huntington Beach; 2) prezoning for portions of the BDP presently located within the County of Orange jurisdiction; and 3) rezoning for the portions of the site located within the City of Huntington Beach from RL (Residential Low Density) to Specific Plan.
The Brightwater Development Project (BDP), which is currently under construction, comprises 105.3 acres including a 37.1-acre habitat preservation and creation area. The BDP received entitlements from Orange County and the California Coastal Commission (CCC) in 2005. An EIR that analyzed potential impacts associated with the construction of the homes, open space and infrastructure was certified by the County of Orange. Thus, the Draft Negative Declaration being processed by the City is only required to analyze the change in jurisdictional boundaries due to the annexation, adoption of the Specific Plan and the associated amendments to the City's zoning map.
In addition to the 105.3 acre BDP site, the project site analyzed in the DND includes another 0.6 acres that are located within an undeveloped area in the City's jurisdiction between the BDP and the existing Sandover project. (For location of this area, refer to Exhibit 1.11-1 of the attached draft specific plan.) As explained in the DND, the majority of this area will be incorporated into the Specific Plan area, allowing for four additional homes to be built beyond the 349 homes that the Coastal Commission has already approved, subject to receiving required entitlements. In addition, the Specific Plan identifies two additional lots for future home construction also subject to receiving required entitlements. A small portion of the area that will be annexed will be prezoned to RL, instead of Specific Plan, so that one additional lot can be incorporated into the Sandover project. All of these additional units were previously analyzed in the Subsequent EIR that was certified by the County of Orange.
Project Schedule
August 7 - September 6, 2007 Public Comment Period for Draft ND
August 28, 2007 Planning Commission Study Session
September 11, 2007 Planning Commission Public Hearing
October 15, 2007 City Council Public Hearing
Public Documents
Due to the size of the file, Appendix Item C, the Habitant Management Plan, is not available on the City of Huntington Beach website. To view a copy of this document, please visit the Public Zoning Counter at City Hall. This document is a reference item approved by the California Coastal Commission; the City of Huntington Beach has no ministerial authority over the contents of the Habitat Management Plan."
Contacts
Sandra Campbell, Consultant, (714) 536-5250
Jason Kelley, Associate Planner, (714) 374-1553