Fountain Valley City Council has approved a new housing development planned for the site of the former Boomers! entertainment center.
In a 4-1 vote, the council denied an appeal of the planning commission’s earlier approval of the project, slated for 16800 Magnolia St. Councilmembers who approved the project said they did not see a reason for the project to go back to the planning commission for another review.
“It’s going to be a big change for Fountain Valley,” Councilmember Patrick Harper said. “But with regards to the appeal and the items that were mentioned, I don’t think there’s a basis for appealing.”
The Planning Commission originally approved the housing development on July 11, but the Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, a non-profit advocacy group that challenges developments believed to violate environmental regulations, initiated an appeal, requesting a new environmental impact report to be conducted on the project.
SAFER argued that there could be unknown environmental consequences not initially considered by the planning commission.
Mayor Ted Bui, the only council member who supported the project’s appeal, expressed similar concerns about the environment and traffic control. He called for the development plan to be sent back to the planning commission for additional hearings and evaluations.
The high-rise housing development at 16800 Magnolia St. is one of many projects aimed at addressing additional housing needs in Fountain Valley. Bui said he believed the plan needed more consideration to ensure it was not rushed through the approval process.
“A project of this magnitude, we need to look at it carefully,” Bui said. “We’re setting precedent for many other projects that are coming down the pipeline.”
In an almost three-hour process, the City Council heard from the housing developers, representatives from SAFER and Fountain Valley residents.
Some residents expressed concerns about increased traffic, parking availability and environmental impacts, including pollution and air quality.
The developers said parking would be restricted to the residential spaces and there would be no significant impacts air and noise quality levels.
The City Council denied the appeal but added a requirement for the development to include in its lease that residents and guests could not park in adjacent commercial parking lots.
Additionally, council members discussed a new traffic light and a barrier to block off a common illegal U-turn on Magnolia Street. While the housing developers expressed support for this, the City Council will have to request the California Department of Transportation to install both the light and the barrier.
“I will ask staff to make sure we do everything that we can to try and provide that to the residents,” Councilmember Glen Grandis said. “It’s the least we can do.”
The housing plan — submitted by the Holland Partner Group — consists of two seven-story buildings and two seven-story parking structures. There will be 4,460 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor, and 657 residential apartment units. It includes 980 parking spaces throughout the development.
Additionally, the housing development proposed an affordable housing agreement that will secure 78 deed-restricted low-income units.
The site is just off the 405 freeway, taking the place of the former Boomers! location — a family center with arcades, mini-golf, and go-kart racing — which closed in 2020.
With the project’s approval by the City Council, Holland Partner Group can begin its work on the development.