The 1.2 miles of fenced oil field along Pacific Coast Highway, between Goldenwest Street and Seapoint Street, was never meant to stay that way. When Huntington Beach adopted the Palm/Goldenwest Specific Plan in 2000, the plan expected oil and gas production there to last roughly 15 to 20 more years. It also expected the owner to come back with an amendment once redevelopment was on the table. Those 20 years ran out around 2020. The amendment now exists: a proposal for up to 800 homes, up to 350 hotel rooms and 22.8 acres of open space.
If you are thinking about buying in Seacliff, that matters more than the latest county median. The land across Palm Avenue is part of what a Seacliff home is priced on, and its future depends on an approval process that has finished its public comment period while the city's notice gives no hearing date.
A Plan Written With an Expiration Date
The 2000 plan covered two parcels with very different timelines. A 54-acre parcel then owned by PLC was zoned mainly for homes and is now fully built as The Boardwalk community. The 92-acre parcel then owned by Aera Energy, now a wholly owned subsidiary of California Resources Corporation, got about 89 acres of Commercial Visitor zoning and three acres of Open Space.
So for 26 years the zoning pointed toward visitor-serving commercial uses while the land kept doing what it had done for nearly a century, which is producing oil and natural gas. The Daily Pilot put it this way: the existing plan designates 94% of the property for commercial uses. The Commercial Visitor zoning never brought hotels. It left a placeholder that waited for the owner to decide what came next.
CRC's application changes that. The city lists the applicant as Robert Grundstrom, and the Daily Pilot identifies him as CRC's senior vice president of business development.
What Would Sit Across Palm Avenue
Where you stand matters here. The city's Draft Environmental Impact Report describes the site as bordered by Pacific Coast Highway on the west and Goldenwest Street on the south. On the east it borders Palm Avenue, The Boardwalk, Mystic Point Townhomes, Surfcrest Condominiums, Ocean Colony and Pattinson Park. Farther east, across Palm Avenue, the EIR lists Sea Cliff on the Greens, the Huntington Club golf course, and the trails of Harriett M. Wieder Regional Park.
Here is how the site works today compared with what the plan proposes:
| Today | Under the proposed amendment | |
|---|---|---|
| Use | Oil and natural gas production | 53.2 acres medium-density residential, 16 acres Commercial Visitor, 22.8 acres open space and park |
| Homes | None | Up to 800 |
| Hotel rooms | None | Up to 350, or other visitor-serving uses |
| Vehicle access | Secured driveways on Goldenwest and Seapoint, no entry from PCH or Palm Avenue | Three PCH entrances plus Seapoint and Goldenwest |
| Edge along Palm Avenue | Masonry wall | Wall removed along the Palm Avenue stretch for pedestrian access to the beach |
| PCH frontage | Screened by walls, fencing and landscaping | An esplanade about 80 feet wide with a 12-foot multi-use path |
The residential area would be split into two sections, Planning Areas 2A at 30.8 acres and 2B at 22.4 acres. The Daily Pilot described homes at the north and south ends with commercial uses in the middle.
The open space shows most clearly what Seacliff would gain. The EIR describes the PCH esplanade with viewing platforms, interpretive signage, benches, picnic areas and shade structures, connected to Palm Avenue, the nearby neighborhoods and Pattinson Park. Paths along the Seapoint and Goldenwest frontages would close the circuit into a multi-use loop of about 2.5 miles around the residential and commercial areas, planted with drought-tolerant landscaping. The 3.1-acre parcel north of Seapoint would stay closed to the public, because it is the only vehicle access to the oil operations that continue farther north. The masonry walls between the site and The Boardwalk and Surfcrest Condominiums would stay in place.
The Approval Chain, In Order
The Draft EIR's public review ran from August 20 through 5 p.m. on October 5, 2026, so it has closed by the time you read this. The city's project page still lists the project status as Planning, last updated August 20, 2026. Here is what has to happen before construction, in the order the documents lay it out:
- Final EIR certification by the city.
- A General Plan Amendment changing the site from Commercial Visitor to a mix of Commercial Visitor, Medium Density Residential and Open Space-Park.
- A Specific Plan Amendment allowing medium-density homes in Planning Area 2.
- A Local Coastal Program Amendment, which the California Coastal Commission must certify.
- Coastal Development Permits and ministerial permits for grading, building and right-of-way work.
- Well abandonment under current California Geologic Energy Management Division standards, ending with a CalGEM closure letter.
- Remediation completed to the oversight agency's satisfaction, with written confirmation required before grading permits are issued.
- Project-specific CEQA review for each later residential or commercial proposal, because the design details are not yet known.
The city's notice says any public meetings will be noticed separately, and it does not give a hearing date.
In February, the Daily Pilot carried this statement from Grundstrom:
"We're pleased that the project is progressing as planned and remains on track for upcoming milestones, including review by the City Council later this year."
"Later this year" now has about ten weeks left. Even after a Council vote, the Local Coastal Program Amendment still needs certification from the Coastal Commission.
The well work could also shape the site plan. In a letter dated March 9, 2026, CalGEM wrote that damaged, uncovered or unrecorded wells found during grading may need remedial plugging, and it recommended against building over plugged and abandoned wells. The city's notice also states that the site is included on the hazardous materials sites list compiled under Government Code §65962.5.
What the Draft EIR Flagged
The Notice of Availability reports that 14 of 17 environmental areas were found less than significant, or less than significant with mitigation. Three remained significant and unavoidable after mitigation: air quality, vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions.
Vehicle miles traveled is a measure of how much driving a project generates. It is a different measure from congestion at a particular intersection, so if Palm Avenue or Goldenwest traffic is the question for a given home, the transportation section of the full Draft EIR is the place to read. The EIR also analyzes a "worst-case" scenario, the maximum development the amended plan would allow, so actual future projects could come in smaller.
Where This Sits in Today's Market
The broader market gives buyers some room for this kind of diligence. In August 2026, the California Association of Realtors reported an Orange County median of $1,452,500 for existing detached single-family homes. That was up 4.9% from a year earlier and down 1.5% from July. Unsold inventory stood at 3.1 months, median time on market was 27 days, and sales were down 3.4% year over year. C.A.R. notes that a change in the median does not measure the price change of any particular home. Freddie Mac's weekly average for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 7.40% as of October 8, 2026, up from 6.30% a year earlier.
At those prices and rates, buyers are making big commitments. In Seacliff, part of that commitment rests on the 92 acres across Palm Avenue. Whether that land becomes an esplanade, homes and a hotel district, and when, depends on the City Council, the Coastal Commission and CalGEM's closure letter once the wells are abandoned.
Questions Seacliff Buyers Ask About the Site
Can I still comment on the Draft EIR? The formal comment period closed October 5, 2026. The city says any future public meetings on the project will be noticed separately.
Who is the city's contact for the project? The city lists Joanna Cortez as the project planner. Earlier comments went to her at the Community Development Department, 2000 Main Street.
Will the existing bike trail along the beach change? The EIR places the Huntington Beach Bike Trail and the public beach west of PCH, across the highway from the site. The proposed loop would run along the inland side of PCH, inside the site.
Does oil production stop if the plan is approved? The original 2000 plan estimated 15 to 20 years of continued production, a window that has passed. The EIR describes oil operations on the site being phased out in connection with redevelopment, without setting a firm shutdown date. Access to the operations north of Seapoint would stay open.
This post is general information about a public planning process, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please confirm how any of it applies to a specific property with the right professional.
If you own a home near Palm Avenue and want to know how the Palm/Goldenwest plan fits into its value today, the team at KND Real Estate Group follows each hearing notice as it is posted and can walk you through current Seacliff comparables. Start with a free home valuation.
