Date: 2/16/25 3:24 pm From: Clark Snodgrass via groups.io <ccsnodgrass...> Subject: [OrangeCountyBirding] A new update on the HCP-East Light show. going back to HB city council vote this tuesday
OC bird community
Unfortunately, the Huntington Beach city council is going to proceed again to a vote this coming Tuesday, Feb 18 on the Symphony of Flowers nightly Light Show to be built in HCP-East over a large area of existing green space near some of the key birding spots. In December, the council pulled the item off the agenda, but its back.
This project is to allocate and alter a larger portion of green space area in HCP east for 8 months of the year for a bleachers and fenced in area that will host the Symphony of Flowers light show. This show will have multiple nightly shows for paying customers most nights from dusk to 11pm, with LED and laser lighting plus amplified sound from speakers.
The area that will be taken for this project will stretch from just north of the "island" and to just south of the area near Lorens Gulch , and from east of Talbert lake to the path just west of the Gothard Parking lot. (this is the area used for the Labor Day Civil war re-enactments. ) see the detailed maps of the effected area and discussion at the below link which has the "environmental impact report" . Page 13 of the report shows the outline of the affected area over an aerial photo
At the December meeting, many public comment speakers criticized the idea citing environmental concerns on the wildlife, parking concerns, nightly shows till 11pm, and the taking of green space for commercial use. In addition a number of speakers cited the lack of the council seeking formal public approval for this type of HCP usage change (in accordance with the requirments of Measure C). There were no speakers that supported the HCP-east idea.
however it is proceeding forward to a vote now.
