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Council approves Huntington Club bungalow plan with safety conditions
Summary
The City Council approved a conditional use permit amendment allowing member-only bungalow units at the Huntington Club, adding safety and neighborhood protections including illuminated crosswalk warnings, differentiated crosswalk materials and court improvements. The motion passed with conditions after public concerns about pedestrian safety and long-term use.
Huntington Beach City Council on April 21 approved an amendment to the Huntington Club's conditional use permit allowing construction of member-only bungalows, but only after adding a set of safety and neighborhood-protection conditions designed to address residents' concerns.
The measure, adopted after an extended public hearing and detailed deliberation, requires the applicant to install illuminated pedestrian- and vehicle-warning signage at drive aisles, use differentiated materials and colors in crosswalks and the drive aisle to slow vehicles and make crossings more visible, and complete specified tennis and pickleball court improvements and fencing refinish or replacement as needed. The council also directed the applicant to host workshops with club members on clubhouse furnishings and equipment.
The hearing drew multiple speakers from the Huntington Club membership and neighboring homeowners who requested an independent safety study, construction staging details and a financial review. Tom McDaniel, speaking for club members, said the project required clearer staging and a member survey to test assumptions about demand. "This is a complex construction program in the middle of an operating facility," he told the council, urging additional study of staging and operations.
Planning staff said they consulted city traffic, fire and police staff and a third-party environmental consultant; those reviews concluded the proposed design did not warrant a separate safety study, and staff presented revised renderings showing pavers at entries, signage and gating to slow vehicles. Joanna Sure Cortez, principal planner, described measures that would increase sightlines, add gates and use contrasting crosswalk materials to reduce vehicle speeds.
Council members pressed the applicant and staff for specifics about sightlines, lighting and whether gates could trigger illuminated crosswalk beacons. The applicant agreed to remove lower-level trees that obstruct sightlines, use colored/textured pavers to slow approaching drivers and add signage at crosswalks. On those assurances the council voted to approve the permit with the added conditions.
The action followed recusal disclosures from two council members on related matters earlier in the meeting; the permit passed on a recorded roll call with the required majority. The approval includes enforcement language: repeated verified noise or other code violations would trigger a meeting with city staff to discuss mitigation and potential revocation procedures.
The council's decision ends a chapter in a months-long appeal of Planning Commission action on the Huntington Club remodel and bungalows, but several neighbors said they will continue to monitor implementation of the conditions and the separate entitlement steps tied to tennis-court lighting.
