Wetlands Restoration a Key Point : Coastal Panel Approves Bolsa Chica Development

The California Coastal Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a development plan for the Bolsa Chica marshlands after the developer, Orange County planners and state officials for the first time agreed on terms to ensure restoration of much of the wetlands.

Hailed as a “milestone� and “a historic moment,� the action was actually a refinement of a basic outline for one of Southern California’s largest remaining wetlands, which the commission had approved last November over objections of the developer, Signal Bolsa Co., and Orange County.

The difference Wednesday was that all major parties to the project were in substantial agreement after more than a decade of battling over the amount of wetlands to be restored, the level of commercial, residential and recreational development and the size and routing of major roadways and ocean channels.

But as critics and proponents both conceded, Wednesday’s consensus--which must be ratified by the Orange County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors--was achieved because the really controversial decisions have been postponed for later hearings.

“I, too, see this as a historic moment,� said Peter M. Douglas, executive director of the commission. “There are a lot of steps that have yet to be taken. There are a lot of unknowns. . . . We don’t know all the details of how this will ultimately work . . . (but) we can assure the commission we feel we will end up with a (wetlands) restoration project that will work . . .

“I view this as a good beginning,� Douglas said.

“It’s a highly significant action,� Signal spokesman Wayne Clark said Wednesday after the 2 1/2-hour hearing, one of the shortest ever for the controversial development plan. “It is really the determination there will be a project. . . . Signal is very pleased.�

Orange County Planning Director Robert G. Fisher told commission members he could recommend the latest document. He indicated that ratification would be pretty much a formality and that the final draft of the land-use plan for Signal’s 1,600-acre parcel could be resubmitted within three months.

“I think we’re in good shape,� Fisher said after the meeting near Los Angeles International Airport. “This is an important step along the way. . . . The changes were agreed to by everyone. Whereas, the last time the commission adopted a plan with staff recommendations, not everyone agreed.�

Question of Ocean Entrance

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers still must examine the feasibility of cutting an ocean entrance to a salt marsh that was cut off from tidal action at the turn of the century, and studies must be done of a host of other aspects of the project, including the earthquake fault hazards and how to finance an estimated $180 million for public works projects.

But Fisher said he was confident development would proceed. “In five years you’ll see development start out there,� he predicted.

The plan calls for development of a 1,300-slip marina, restaurants, hotels, shops and waterfront homes in exchange for restoration of 915 acres of degraded wetlands to a fully productive state, capable of nurturing the myriad aquatic, avian and mammal life found in the marshland.

Even without the crucial tidal flushing necessary for healthy wetlands habitat, the Bolsa Chica is home to the endangered least tern, Belding’s savannah sparrow and burrowing owls, and a way station for thousands of migrating ducks, geese, herons and other birds.

Biggest Battle Ahead

The restored wetlands would be added to an existing state ecological reserve, created after a 1973 land swap between Signal and the state to resolve a title dispute.

The biggest battle ahead is over whether a navigable ocean channel is both economically and environmentally feasible. The modifications approved Wednesday require study of the commission’s preference: a non-navigable ocean channel. Signal and county officials have insisted that development would not be cost-effective without a fully navigable channel.

It is expected to take the Corps of Engineers about 18 months to complete its studies.

The chief concession on the part of Signal and the county was agreement to link development of the upland area to restoration of the wetlands. The developer must assure that all restoration can be completed before any subdivision or construction permits can be issued. The assurance could either be a bond in an amount sufficient for restoration or conveying interest in the property to some agency that would oversee the wetlands project.

Buffer Zones Added

The plan is seen as a way to guarantee that restoration occurs regardless of who owns the property. In the worst-case scenario--if the project was abandoned midstream--the plan would be a means to gain public access to the wetlands for restoration.

Terms also include 100-foot-wide buffer zones around the central wetlands area and smaller buffers around other areas to protect environmentally sensitive habitat from construction. New sand dunes must be created to replace any that would be removed or destroyed.

At the insistence of the state Fish and Game Department, which manages the existing reserve, language was added to make clear that no oil wells currently in the salt marsh can be relocated in restoration areas.

Even Amigos de Bolsa Chica, an environmental group that has grown from a dozen members to more than 1,000 in its 10-year fight to protect the wetlands, conceded the plan was “a major improvement� because it linked restoration with development.

But Amigos past president Lorraine Faber said the plan still puts “disproportionate emphasis� on a navigable entrance.