HUNTINGTON BEACH : Amendment Allows Harbour Decks

Without debate, the City Council this week unanimously agreed to allow Huntington Harbour waterfront residences to include decks that extend over the water, a proposal that originally stirred concerns among some property owners and environmentalists.

The city code amendment will allow apartments and condominiums to include cantilevered decks that extend as far as five feet over the water. Existing building codes allowed only single-family waterfront homes to have the overhanging structures.

The issue had previously sparked controversy among residents, who were concerned that the decks would block views, and environmentalists, who argued that the projecting decks would threaten vital eelgrass beds scattered throughout the harbor.

Eelgrass is an important breeding habitat for young fish and other marine life, said Richard Nitsos, a state Department of Fish and Game associate marine biologist. The marine plant is unusually sensitive to light, so a deck that blocked sunlight from an eelgrass bed would likely destroy some or all of the habitat, he said.

To address those concerns, planners included in the code amendment a provision that proposals for new decks be reviewed individually. A projecting deck would be permitted only after planners determined it would not affect any eelgrass bed or block any neighbor’s view, said Michael Adams, the city’s community development director.

And, since eelgrass habitats regularly crop up in new areas in the harbor, the Department of Fish and Game will be consulted before a building permit is granted for any new deck, officials said.

To further protect harbor views, the code amendment sharply restricts windscreens on the decks. The windscreens may take up no more than 20% of the deck, and must be at least 85% transparent.