8:18 am | Jun 12, 2009
Coastal resort proposed for Old Town
The owners of Seal Beach’s last undeveloped stretch of waterfront property have submitted plans to the city to build a “low density luxury residential resort” on 10.69 acres of land near First Street and the San Gabriel River.
Once occupied by an old red brick power plant, the prime piece of land has been vacant for decades. The property has been a battleground over the years, as Old Town residents, city planners and developers debated its fate.
Bay City Partners purchased the land in 2003 and this week the developers announced a proposal to build a two-story inn, which project development manager Edward Selich described as “similar to the now demolished Seal Beach Inn.” Residential housing also would be built adjacent to the inn.
Selich said the owners are asking the city to amend the existing site plan for the property, which calls for a 150-room hotel on 3.2 acres with the remaining 70 percent of the land left as open space.
In an overview of the proposal, the developers said the new project would:
• Include 56 lots, 35 of them with two-story, single family villas “similar in size and scale to current residences in Old Town Seal Beach.” The remaining 21 lots would have two-unit casitas that would be time share properties.
• Feature a 50 to 75 room inn with amenities such as a pool, small restaurant, and spa facilities.
• Have a goal of preserving up to 60 percent of the land (and a minimum of 50 percent) as open space for use by the public and “substantially reduce the intensity of development” allowed in the current site plan. The adjacent San Gabriel River Trail, owned by the developers, also would be dedicated for long term public use.
• Employ state-of-the-art green practices for energy conservation and water use.
“Approval of this amendment will allow Bay City to develop a luxury residential resort and provide a significant amount of new open public space, while reducing the intensity and the scale of the development allowed under the current regulations…” Selich said in the announcement. “Bay City believes this will be a win-win for the property owner and the public.”
The property is the site of the former Department of Water and Power plant, which was demolished in the 1960s. The land sits between First Street and the San Gabriel River and Marina Drive and the beach.
Selich said he filed the proposed amendment to the city’s Site Plan on June 4 and expects to receive an initial response from city planners within 30 days.
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