A massive development proposal for Banning Ranch was nixed by the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday, but it may not be dead. Photo: KQED
The California Coastal Commission denied approval of an 895-home development on an undeveloped stretch of Orange County coast Wednesday — but the saga is far from over. The proposal can be revisited in new proposals within six months or challenge the commission’s decision in court. Says the LA Times: “The denial was more an expression of frustration with competing staff and developer proposals for Newport Banning Ranch than an outright rejection of the project.”
“I don’t think if we support denial today that’s the end of this project,” Commission member Dayna Bochco told the Times before the 9 to 1 vote.
In addition to million-dollar homes, the proposed development, on a former oil field between Huntington Beach and Newport, would also include a hotel, hostel, and shopping center.
The development plan galvanized environmentalists and many others who wish to preserve open space on the congested coastline. The project raised concerns about the wellbeing of fragile wildlife populations including burrowing owls, fairy shrimp, and California gnatcatcher, a small bird.
Those for and against have sought to characterize the 401-acre former oil drilling area as either a blighted urban scar or a bastion of open space and nature.
Newport Beach Mayor Diane Dixon, who supported the development, said: “The Newport Banning oil field is not an environmental gem. It is a brown field…It would be tragic if we let this historic opportunity slip away.”
“The California Coastal Commission staff biologists and scientists found that 219 acres of the land qualify as environmentally sensitive,” reports the OC Register.
The vote comes on the heels of the commission’s ousting of former executive director Charles Lester.
