The Huntington Beach City Council approved zoning changes for the Magnolia Tank Farm, making the site available for future real estate, retail and dining developments and a new community park, on Jan. 20.
The 29-acre Magnolia Tank Farm, which was previously only available for heavy industrial use, will now be open for the development of residential housing, coastal conservation, green space and businesses.
The rezoning was solidified in a 5-2 vote as the first step towards the new development, with Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr as one of the opponents.
While supporters view the Magnolia Tank Farm as an opportunity for economic development in Huntington Beach, others like Carr are concerned about its placement near an AES power plant and former landfill.
“On the face of it, this project is really quite beautiful, but what I don’t like about it is the location of it,” Carr said. “It’s adjacent to AES, it’s adjacent to Ascon, it has Poseidon potentially next to it and the wetlands.”
Development of the Magnolia Tank Farm is projected to create 2,000 construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs. The city will also generate $3.8 million in park fees, $14 million in affordable housing fees and $3.5 million in annual tax revenues from the project, which is expected to exceed $25 million.
The proposed development will include 250 for-sale homes, a 211,000-square-foot Lodge with 215 guest rooms, 19,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 2.8 acres of Coastal Conservation area and 2.9 acres of public parks, trails and viewpoints.
According to the Magnolia Tank Farm site, the Lodge will serve as a “gathering space [that] will provide a common area for residents and guests to enjoy activities with the opportunity to connect with the community and its surroundings.”
The Lodge will contain 215 rooms with wetland and ocean views, as well as restaurants, retail and other attractions for the surrounding community.
Magnolia Tank Farm will also include Marsh Park, a coastal development that will overlook Magnolia Marsh. The park will provide public space for recreation and observation and will also include tours of the Magnolia Marsh and an amphitheater.
An elevated public coastal trail will also be constructed alongside Magnolia Marsh as a public viewpoint connecting the Magnolia Tank Farm’s various developments.
There are also plans in place to convert the privately-owned “Squirrel Park” into a public park tentatively named Magnolia Park.
The Farm’s residential neighborhood will offer 250 medium-density single-family homes and no apartments.
Along with these new developments, Huntington Beach has also allotted funds for other local improvements, including $1 million for Banning Branch Library, $800,000 for Edison Park and $400,000 for Steely Park.
“I think that this project is an opportunity for us to start shaping a vision for what we want the area to be, and what the residents want it to be too,” Huntington Beach City Councilmember Natalie Moser said.
Eva Cluff is a City News Intern for the winter 2021 quarter. She can be reached at ecluff@uci.edu.
