UPDATE: The 115-year-old little blue beach cottage was placed on the Founders Square area of the Greenbelt, in Seal Beach, this morning, Thursday, July 16.
Several Seal Beach citizens asked the City Council this week to reconsider the planned relocation of the little blue beach cottage to Founders Square on the Greenbelt.
The council took no action.
Public comments on the issue were punctuated, and occasionally interrupted, by applause and verbal outbursts from the audience as citizens addressed the issue for about 90 minutes.
Critics of the city’s plan to place the 115-year-old beach cottage on the section of the Greenbelt near the Mary Wilson Library and the Red Car Museum fell into two groups: those who advocate keeping the Greenbelt entirely open and those who say the placement would block the view of Eighth Street.
Many of the opponents of the placement live on Eighth Street. Only one Eighth Street resident spoke in favor of the placement.
On Thursday, July 9, the City Council voted unanimously to accept the Blayney family’s offer to give their little blue cottage to Seal Beach. The council also voted unanimously to put it on the Greenbelt.
This week, opponents of the proposed location asked the council to find another place for the buidling during the public comment segment of the meeting.
Cliff Page, of Eighth Street, said residents of that street were not being considered. He said he and other Eighth Street residents were being financially harmed because the lost view would affect property values.
Page said he should have been given more notice.
He also said that residents had 30 days to appeal the city’s filing of an exception to the California Environmental Quality Act and indicated he would file an appeal.
The environmental law requires an environmental impact study of projects, with certain exemptions.
Five other Eighth Street residents raised similar complaints about the loss of the view from PCH to the beach parking lot and lack of notice about the project.
Only one Eighth Street resident supported the placement of the cottage: Mike Haley. He said almost every window of his home would look out on the blue cottage. Haley said the area would be a great location for the cottage.
Not all opponents of the proposed placement of the cottage were from Eighth Street. Barbara Hendly of Seventh Street said the community must preserve the Greenbelt, apparently referring to open space on the Greenbelt.
Opponents of the Greenbelt location suggested other places the building could stand, including the beach next to Lifeguard Headquarters, College Park East, the cottage’s current 12th Street location, the Zoeter School site on the other side of the street or a portion of the Girl Scout’s property (if they were willing to donate the land).
Gordon Shanks suggested moving the cottage closer to the Red Car Museum. On July 9, Marie Antos raised concern that the cottage would be placed on land leased by the Seal Beach Historical Society.
However, Seth Eaker, who supported the planned location for the cottage, responded to other proposed sites by saying that no one wanted the cottage in their backyard.
At the end of the meeting, Mayor Ellery Deaton asked for staff to look into creating a Historical Commission. This was apparently in response to comments from several supporters of the Greenbelt site for the little blue cottage.
