Greetings from Huntington Beach

Tesco Sighting in London

This Tesco was a little like 7-11 - they had huge 2-liter Evian bottles for 80 pence. Cheaper than we can get it at home. This one was smaller than what is coming to Huntington Beach. When we see a bigger one, we will take more pictures.

New HB Pix in the HB Images Section

My friend Andy Schmidt took some great pics that I've added to the HB Images section. Check them out.

OC Voice Exclusive: Harman Bill Seeks to Weaken EIRs?

From the OC Voice:

State Senator Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach-Costa Mesa) has quietly introduced a bill (SB 427) in Sacramento that would make it easier to build in undeveloped urban areas.

This bill changes the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to allow developers to file a far less comprehensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for projects that are consistent with an already established city master plan.

Harman introduced the bill to the Senate in February. It now awaits consideration by the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.

Certain development projects located in urban areas covered by a broad city plan, and which provide housing or employment near “business centers or transportation corridors,” would be exempt from current CEQA regulations that require an EIR to examine project alternatives as well as growth inducing and cumulative impacts.

Surf City Nights - the Video

Just finished this video about Surf City Nights, trying to get the flavor of the event in one video. I think this is a good representation of what has been happening downtown.

Chris Epting's New Column Debuts

One of our bloggers, Chris Epting, is a new columnist for the HB Independent. His first column is a good one, and loyal Greetings from Huntington Beach readers will see that Chris has shed some light on the Llyod Wright mystery that began here.

Here Comes Tesco!!

From the OC Register, British grocer Tesco will soon bring its "Fresh & Easy" market concept to Orange County, including a store in Huntington Beach, whose location is unknown so far.

British retailer Tesco has quadrupled the number of fresh express grocery stores it plans for Orange County. Early Wednesday, Tesco – whose reputation in Europe rivals that of Wal-Mart in the United States – said it plans to open at least 100 Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets in the U.S. by February 2008. Among those will be six stores planned for Fullerton, Laguna Hills, Orange, Anaheim, Buena Park and Huntington Beach, according to the state's Alcohol Beverage Control office in Santa Ana. Previously, only two Tesco locations in Orange County were known.

UPDATE: Janeqe, a reader, says in the comments that the HB Tesco will be near the BevMo store on Beach Boulevard.

Letter From a Surf City Nights Fan

My name is Molly Kiefer. I am a 13 year resident of Huntington Beach. My family and I went to the street fair for the first time last night and we had a blast! All of the performers were amazing and there was a lot to keep the kids happy too. I was also happy to see organic farmers with fresh fruits, veggies, and flowers. I purchased all 3!

My e-mail is to plea with you to please keep this going! There is so much for kids to do and see. I know I will be bringing my family every Tuesday night, and I hope that doesn't have to end in May.
Thank you
Molly Kiefer

Sign from above

I saw this series of "Welcome to Huntington Beach" banners along Edinger from Beach to about Gothard. Strange, in that they do not include the much-battled-for "Surf City USA" (they just say "Surf City")

As well, they're a totally different typeface than the "official" logo--violating the most basic of branding laws--CONSISTENCY. Not sure who placed them, but if they are official and I was a Santa Cruz lawyer, I'd jump on this and say "Look, they're not even using the tagline on their advertising."

FYI, I write and direct commercials, and here's my company logo for the Surf City Advertising Company--the only one I use :)

What a Little Vision Can Do

A few weeks ago I traveled to the far away burgh of Rancho Cucamonga to visit a highly recommended and award-winning development there.

Victoria Gardens won an Urban Land Institute (ULI) Award for basically creating a downtown shopping area where there was none! I was amazed at this development for its vision and scope. Basically, you could be fooled into thinking this was once Rancho Cucamonga’s downtown area, but the developers simply recreated the look, feel and scope of an old fashioned downtown area.
Consisting of a 4-5 block size area, shops, plazas, street parking and even a town square make up this remarkable development.

The ULI wrote: “To create a sense of place, the project’s back story explains how the community grew over time from a simple group of buildings along a farm road to a diverse main street locale. Four architectural firms were engaged to design buildings representing various historical periods. Some buildings were designed to look as if they had been converted from other uses to serve today’s needs; others appear to be several small shops stacked next to each other. The result is a tapestry of structures, streetscapes, and landscaping that reflects the history of Rancho Cucamonga.”

Which got me thinking.

The most attractive, original and popular part of Huntington Beach’s downtown is the north side of the second block where the Sugar Shack, Longboard and No Ka Oi are. And not surprisingly, these are actually some of downtown’s few remaining original structures.

Wouldn’t it be great if the massive building housing the parking structure that’s across the street from these historic structures had utilized false old store fronts reflecting the old Surf City facades much like Victoria Gardens did?

Environmental Activist Mark Bixby Denied Access to New Development

Mark Bixby, a local hero who tirelessly documents wildlife in and around Bolsa Chica has been denied access to Shea Properties land after his observations and findings at the site are used by Coastal Comission staff to deny Shea's proposal.

From the OC Register.