SEAL BEACH : Recreation Panel OKs 15-Acre Park Plan

The Seal Beach Recreation and Parks Commission unanimously approved the latest plan for a 15-acre park that Mola Development Corp. has agreed to build for the city.

The plan will cost Mola an estimated $1.4 million to build and allows for all but two of the commission’s nine revisions to the original $1.1-million proposal, which was conditionally approved by the Seal Beach City Council in August.

The proposed park would be adjacent to the wetlands on the Hellman Ranch property in southwest Seal Beach, where Mola has plans for a 355-unit residential project. Mola is developing the park and is dedicating an additional 50 acres of nearby property to Seal Beach as part of the company’s development agreement with the city.

The park plan, which will now be submitted to the City Council for finalapproval, includes eight tennis courts, two basketball courts, a sand volleyball court and a 2,000-square-foot community center. Also included would be a gazebo, a raised viewing area near the wetlands, a picnic area, playing fields and modest landscaping.

Construction will not begin on the residential development or the park until the company’s plans receive final approval from the state Coastal Commission, which will meet to review the proposal on Nov. 14.