The District Weekly reported last night that the Long Beach Planning Commission decided that a 9.4-acre parcel of wetland property on Loynes Drive must be returned to its original state before it was razed by earth-moving machinery in March.
The land was graded by its owner, Sean Hitchcock of 2H Construction, without applying for necessary permits because the property is protected by coastal laws. 2H Construction has been contracted by the City of Long Beach to perform work in and around the city for several years.
A former area filled with a diverse collection of wildlife and plant life, the area was razed into a dirt field back in March as Hitchcock has expressed his desire to turn the property into soccer fields. Hitchcock purchased the property from developer Tom Dean just days before razing the land.
Despite spirited objections from protestors, in October the city’s Zoning Commission granted Hitchcock a permit to apply a 6-inch cap of dirt to the property to seal possible gas leaks that had been uncovered by the March razing. Hitchcock had already performed the work and needed the permit to ceremonially approve the process.
The Planning Commission’s decision is something new, though. The District reports that city staff have 100 days to deliver instructions on exactly how the property will be returned to its original state – which it no longer resembles in the least.