An ongoing battle between an RV lot developer and Huntington Beach residents over a proposal to replace a nursery with an RV lot is headed for a climax tonight with the City Council set to vote on the lot’s approval.
Residents of the Aragon Circle neighborhood and senior-citizen mobile home park adjacent to the proposed lot are fighting the proposal, arguing that it spoils their views, reduces property values and poses a fire hazard due to overhead power lines that crisscross the lot.
The RV developer, Doc Rivers, has said he regrets choosing the location surrounded by single-family homes and the mobile home park in the eastern part of the city but can’t pull out of the deal after investing so much of his personal finances.
The developer’s representatives, Mike Adams & Associates, requested to postpone the council vote repeatedly, saying they needed more time to address the concerns of the Aragon Circle residents.
The plan originally called for an allotment of 13.5 acres for RV storage and 557 RV parking spaces, with some of those spaces abutting the homes of Aragon Circle residents. Since then, the developer cut the plan down to 10.7 acres and 395 RV parking spaces and scrapped plans for RV parking spaces behind the homes of the Aragon Circle residents.
But the neighborhood’s residents are not satisfied with the developer’s concessions and have continued to fight the lot proposal.
Tim Karpinski, one the neighborhood’s residents, sought the advice of RV storage consultant Rich Stockwell, who said placing an RV storage lot under power lines would put the city at fault in the event of damaged power lines from a fire at the facility. Stockwell said the damage could cause power failures in the city.
From Stockwell’s letter to the City Council:
Keep in mind, RVs are principally fiberglass. When an RV catches on fire the flames are very, very hot and the fire is explosive. Sometimes the propane tank also explodes. Flames can reach heights where power lines literally melt. Municipalities have told us over and over again that they will NOT risk the liability and lawsuits by allowing a RV storage lot facility under those power lines. Before the Huntington Beach city council chooses to approve this project, they may wish to consult with their own insurance carrier and legal staff before putting the citizens of Huntington Beach into financial peril!
I support the citizens of Huntington Beach and would oppose the proposed RV Storage Facility. If necessary, I would be willing to support this position in a legal setting.