Coastal Commission approves Bolsa Chica development

On April 14, the California Coastal Commission met in Santa Barbara to hear the latest application from Hearthside Homes for their Brightwater Project, proposed for the upper bench of the Bolsa Chica Mesa. By a vote of 11 to 1, the Commission approved the 349-unit project on 105 acres overlooking the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

The Commission imposed 26 of 27 conditions recommended by their staff, which helped reduce the negative impacts of the project. The single condition which was not imposed was the implementation of a 300-meter buffer zone between the development and the eucalyptus environmentally sensitive habitat area (ESHA) on the southern border of the project. Although members of the Sierra Club, the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, and the Amigos de Bolsa Chica argued that the buffer was necessary to ensure protection of the ESHA, the Commission ultimately agreed with the developer that a buffer with widths varying between 150 and 382 feet was satisfactory.

While there was disappointment that the project was approved, the decision now clears the way for the 103-acre lower bench of the mesa to be purchased by the state using funds set aside from Proposition 50. 'It's tough to see the project finally approved,' said Rudy Vietmeier, longtime Sierra Club member who attended the hearing. 'But we're happy it has been reduced over the years from more than 4,000 homes to just 349. And the lower bench will now be saved for future generations.'

The battle to preserve the Bolsa Chica, however, is far from over. Sierra Club members, along with local organizations such as the Land Trust will continue to work to preserve the nearly 60-acre Upper Bolsa Chica wetlands from development.