PLANNING COMMISSION STUDY SESSION
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Jennifer Villasenor, Director of Community Development
BY: Joanna Cortez, Principal Planner
SUBJECT:
title
Environmental Impact Report No. 25-002 (Palm/Goldenwest Specific Plan Amendment)
body
APPLICANT/
PROPERTY
OWNER:
Robert Grundstrom, Socal Holding, LLC (a sub. of California Resources Corp), 1 World Trade Center - Suite 1500, Long Beach, CA 90831
LOCATION:
20101 Goldenwest Street, 92648 (APNs 023-181-53 and 023-181-54), (East side of PCH between Goldenwest Street and Seapoint Street)
PROJECT PROPOSAL:
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) No. 25-002: Represents a request to analyze the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed project to amend the California Resources Corporation (formerly AERA) parcel of the Palm/Goldenwest Specific Plan (PGSP) for future redevelopment of the 92-acre project site, including the demolition and removal of existing oil and gas production infrastructure, remediation and site preparation activities, and construction of up to 800 residential units, up to 350 hotel rooms and other permitted visitor-serving uses, and various open space and park areas. Future buildout of the site would include new vehicular access points and internal circulation roadways, informational signage, utility and infrastructure connections, and multi-use paths. Under the proposed PGSP Amendment, the project site would be divided into three land use planning areas: Planning Area 1 (16 acres of Commercial Visitor uses), Planning Area 2 (53.2 acres of Medium Density Residential uses, subdivided into Planning Areas 2A [30.8 acres] and 2B [22.4 acres]), and Planning Area 3 (22.8 acres of open space/park uses, subdivided into Planning Area 3A [19.7 acres] and 3B [3.1 acres]). Project-specific design details for future residential and commercial development facilitated by approval of the SP Amendment are unknown at this time. Each future discretionary project in the SP would be subject to a project-specific CEQA review at the time it is proposed for consideration by the City.
CEQA:
The draft EIR was made available to the public, public agencies, Planning Commission and City Council for review at the start of the 45-day public comment period on August 20, 2026. The City received 16 comments on the draft EIR. The Final EIR will include the Response to Comments and all text changes as a result of the public comment period. The Final EIR and appendices will be posted on the City’s website prior to the public hearing on the EIR and the link will be forwarded to the Planning Commission and City Council.
The required CEQA procedure that was followed is outlined below:
• February 6, 2026 - March 9, 2026: Initial Study (IS)/Notice of Preparation (NOP) was filed with the State Clearinghouse and available for public review and comment for 30 days.
• February 18, 2026: A Public Scoping Meeting was held to solicit comments related to issue areas to be studied in the EIR.
• August 20, 2026 - October 5, 2026: Notice of Completion was filed with the State Clearinghouse and draft EIR was available for public review and comment for 45 days.
The draft EIR discusses potential adverse impacts in the areas described below. The direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the project are addressed, as are the impacts of project alternatives. The draft EIR must be adopted and certified by the Planning Commission and City Council prior to any action on the project.
Scope of EIR Analysis
The draft EIR studied the following topics pursuant to CEQA guidelines with the exception of Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Recreation, and Wildfire. Although the IS determined that the proposed project would not result in adverse impacts related to biological resources, this topic was ultimately evaluated in the EIR due to concerns raised during the public review period for the IS/NOP:
• Aesthetics
• Air Quality
• Biological Resources
• Cultural resources
• Energy
• Geology and Soils
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Land Use and Planning
• Mineral Resources
• Noise
• Population and Housing
• Public Services
• Transportation
• Tribal Cultural Resources
• Utilities and Service Systems
Environmental topics with no potential significant impacts were discussed in Section 2.4 of the EIR and were scoped out from further detailed analysis in the EIR.
Project Impacts
The draft EIR concluded that the environmental impacts as a result of project implementation would result in less than significant impacts or potentially significant impacts that could be reduced to a less than significant level with incorporation of mitigation measures based on CEQA thresholds of significance for the following areas:
• Aesthetics
• Cultural Resources
• Geology and Soils
• Hazards and Hazardous Materials
• Hydrology and Water Quality
• Land Use and Planning
• Noise
• Population and Housing
• Public Services
• Utilities and Service Systems
The EIR determined that implementation of the proposed project would result in significant and unavoidable impacts in the following areas:
• Air Quality
• Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Transportation
Approval of the Proposed Project would require adoption of a Statement of Overriding Considerations finding that the economic and social benefits of the proposed project outweigh its significant and unavoidable impacts.
Alternatives
The EIR also presents alternatives to the proposed project that could avoid or reduce the severity of impacts described in the topics above, as required by CEQA. Three alternatives were evaluated in the EIR and described below:
• Alternative 1 - This alternative assumes no project or development. The “No Project” alternative is a requirement of CEQA.
• Alternative 2 - This alternative assumes buildout of existing General Plan and PGWSP designation of Commercial Visitor (CV).
• Alternative 3 - This alternative assumes the maximum allowable commercial development within Planning Area 1 of the project site to be substantially reduced.
Overall, when considering the alternatives relative to each other and the proposed project, Alternative 3 is the environmentally superior alternative.
PUBLIC HEARING DATE:
The tentative Planning Commission public hearing date is December 8, 2026.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Draft EIR No. 25-002 - Not attached but available at: <https://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/business_detail_T9_R682.php>
2. Presentation