When is Old Ranch Country Club scoping meeting taking place?
District Four Councilwoman Schelly Sustarsic gave me the heads up that she is trying to learn the date of the scoping meeting for the Old Ranch Country club project.
She’ll let her constituents know when she has obtained the date. She’ll use social media.
The Sun has emailed both Seal Beach Community Development Director Alexa Smittle and Ed Selich, who is representing the Country Club on the project.
“We would like to hold a public meeting before the end of the year, but have not yet confirmed a date. This meeting will be the Scoping Meeting that is a part of the California Environmental Quality Act process,” Smittle wrote in an Oct. 18 email.
The Sun did not receive a reply from Selich as of editorial deadline.
The applicant is seeking a new site plan for the property, one that according to a July 2022 Seal Beach city staff report includes:
• a three-level addition to the clubhouse, with 150 rooms for overnight guests
• a 103-unit, three-level independent/assisted living facility
• a 51-unit, three-level, senior housing complex (with a 25,340-square-foot medical office).
• a three-level parking structure (with 591 parking spaces) and four tennis courts on tthe top
• and a clubhouse swimming pool.
A mystery at the north jetty
A who-is-it mystery was uncovered recently at the north jetty.
A rock that was submerged in mud, apparently near the tide line, was recently uncovered. Engraved upon the rock were the words:
“IN LOVING MEMORY OF
TERRY TIERNEY
OUR PHOTOGRAPHER
OUR TEACHER
OUR BUDDY
‘COURAGE UNDER FIRE’”
There was no date, which would have been a nice clue. (Unless the date was engraved on the other side of the rock.)
Hal Crum, one of my neighbors, posted a photo on social media. So far, lots of speculation but no certain answers.
I texted the photo to local historian Larry Strawther. He did a little research and found the name of an individual who played high school basketball in Torrance in the 1970s.
Larry’s answer sounds closer to the mark than anything I found online—most of the “Terry Tierneys” I found were out of state, though I found an apparently living writer and poet in the San Francisco area. Since the rock is “in loving memory” I’m going to go out on a speculative limb and say that isn’t the person I’m seeking.
Why was the memorial rock placed where it would never been seen?
No idea.
Why was it placed where it could be buried under mud?
No idea.
Who was Terry Tierney?
Email any clues you might have to me at editor@sunnews.org.
What is the future of height limits?
The state legislature has been imposing new mandates on local governments in pursuit of increasing the supply of available housing. (The effectiveness of these measures is debatable.)
In 2023, one of the new housing laws that will go into effect is SB 897 which includes an increase in the height limit for accessory dwelling units, which are often called “granny flats.”
This raised a question, so on Oct. 17 I asked Community Development Director Alexa Smittle if Seal Beach staff knew of legislation that might take from municipal governments the authority to limit heights.
On Oct. 18, Smittle wrote: “The City pays careful attention to legislation, and continues to have grave concerns over budget impacts from unfunded mandates and loss of local land use controls.
We encourage our residents to stay involved in State activities, and share their opinions with their elected State legislators.”
I’ve searched online myself and—so far—I’m not aware of any proposals to take control of height limits from city or county governments.
Whether this will happen is a question. I’m only one person, but I’ll do what I can to look further into this question.
Email your questions, and suggestions for California Public Record Act Requests to editor2@sunnews.org.
