Huntington Harbour residents: Don’t park your development here

First Huntington Harbour residents voiced their opposition and signed a petition to block the proposed construction of two large homes that they feared would block their views. Then, the California Coastal Commission expressed its concerns.

And last week Huntington Beach’s zoning department gave the idea the ax.

But John Stanko, representing the Stanko Family Trust, the owner of the land in question, a private parking lot on Davenport Drive near the Davenport Marina, said he will continue to fight to develop the property.

At a public meeting April 21, the city’s zoning department denied the owner’s request for a zoning change so that two two-story homes totaling about 12,000 square feet could be build on the land, citing uneasiness with the location and limited parking. The Coastal Commission, in a letter sent to the zoning department, expressed concerns regarding limited public access to the marina and obstructed views.

Stanko’s plan would have tried to preserve some parking for the marina, which is owned by his family.

“Staff has determined the project does not conform with the general plan for the local coastal program,” said John Ramirez, project planner for the city, at the meeting. “The project does not take into account the priority of shoreline development over other types of development, and the use of private land suitable for visitors serving commercial recreation facilities is going to be permanently eliminated as a result of this project.”

Stanko, who lives in Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles County, said he plans to appeal the decision to the Planning Commission. Stanko has until May 4 to file the appeal, Ramirez said.

Karen Otis, of Otis Architecture Inc., the architectural firm hired by the Stanko family to submit plans to the city in an attempt to get the zoning squared away, said her client wants to sell this area of the marina to a developer “in an effort to enhance it rather than make anything worse.”

Huntington Harbour residents said they worry that the addition of the homes would block views and thus reduce the value of their homes while also infringing on street parking. About a dozen people spoke against it at a zoning meeting last month and 45 signed the petition.

At that meeting, city zoning officials initially expressed their concerns, prompting Otis and Stanko to revise their plans. But no one last week seemed happy with the revision, which included increased landscaping. Ten residents spoke against the project, saying the major problems — location and parking — had not been resolved.

“I think a child could have picked a better location,” said Tarrik Shawa, a 12-year resident of the neighborhood, who proposed turning the lot, which is a bit of an eyesore with untended vegetation, into a park.

He said the homes would block access to the marina and eliminate parking spots in the neighborhood, which also has its own small beaches and parks. He added that an increase in street traffic might create dangerous conditions for beachgoers and marina visitors.

Otis said the project “poses no risks for safety” and that the Stankos have tried to ease neighbors’ concerns.

“The family has been really trying hard to listen to the community as well as the planning staff,” said Otis, who added she lived in Huntington Harbour for 23 years before moving more than a year ago. “Before all this began, we even had a community meeting before we submitted to inform them and listen to comments, but the people were unfortunately resistant.”

She added that the Stankos, who charge marina tenants to park at their lot, may open parking spots for the public.

Jane James, planning manager for Huntington Beach’s community development department, said the lot is currently zoned for low-density residential, meaning the plans don’t conform.

Newport Beach-based real estate agency the Stanfield Group has had a sign on the property indicating the site could be turned into two homes.

Otis said a price for the land has not yet been discussed.

Mark Prouse, whose family owns a home directly across from the proposed development, said he believes the homes would have hindered the “lively” atmosphere of the marina.

“I think the whole community has just come together on this,” he said. “I did not hear one homeowner comment in support of this. I just see this life of activity going on in this neighborhood, and it’s lively and busy. Having homes there would take this one little area and make it denser to facilitate. For the owners of the development, that’s a parking lot. For the rest of us, this is our home.”