Bolsa Chica Mesa Acquisition On April 14, 2005 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 ESHA (Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area) on the southern border of the project. Although members of the 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.

The decision, however, cleared the way for the 118-acre lower bench of the Bolsa Chica Mesa to be purchased by the State of California. The State acquired 103 acres from Hearthside Homes in December 2005 and an additional 15 acres from the Ocean View School District in January 2006. The lower bench will now be preserved forever as habitat and open space in is slated to become part of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

Meanwhile, the battle to preserve the Bolsa Chica is far from over.  The Land Trust continues to work to preserve the 50-acre Upper Bolsa Chica Wetlands and the 6-acre Sacred Cogged Stone Site.

Photo: Google Earth