Surfing in the California desert? Developer’s plan sparks outrage over water use, drought, and development
The company, which is working to develop the town of Surfside in Southern California, says its plans for the area are “green” and sustainable, with development plans for the site focused on wind and solar power.
But critics say otherwise and say the company’s proposed plans are in violation of the California Coastal Act, which aims to protect coastal resources in California and protect the ocean from development.
The company would be required to develop a plan for conserving local water, and to consider the impact of the project on the environment and local communities.
The plan is facing criticism from environmental groups, the city of Huntington Beach and locals in neighboring cities.
The company behind the project wants to develop a resort town of 2,500 people in Southern California
“There are a lot of reasons to support the project, but we want to make sure that, when we look at other environmental and development impacts, we don’t just focus on those that we think are negatives,” said David Gierasch, the co-founder and chief executive of Surfside.
Gierasche said the company’s development plans are aimed at “shifting the energy from transportation to the utilization of sustainable energy sources and creating a more resilient community.”
The project, which was announced last year, was designed to be the first large-scale residential community in the United States to use solar power to power almost all of its operations.
The company says the project will be a “green” development that will include more than 400 solar panels, a water treatment plant and recycling facility and a solar thermal plant to generate geothermal steam to produce the energy.
“We think that’s a really good step toward becoming a world-class community,” Gierasche said.
The project is also expected to generate 50,000 tons of green renewable energy each year.
‘A lot of water’
The project sparked concern over the project’s impact on water resources.
“The amount of water required to support that level of development is a lot of water,” said Michael Cohen, an associate professor at the University of Houston Institute of Housing and Urban Policy and a coastal policy expert.
“If it’s this way the residents can’t