Latest news with #CaliforniaResourcesCorp
Los Angeles Times
10-04-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Energy company seeks to convert Huntington Beach oil and gas complex to large-scale oceanfront housing
A desirable stretch of oceanfront land in Huntington Beach could switch from an oil and gas production complex to housing, a hotel and more. Energy company California Resources Corp. (formerly Occidental Petroleum's California operations) has announced it has applied to rezone its 92-acre property, which runs from Goldenwest Street to Seapoint Street on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway. C.R.C.'s proposal seeks to transform the 1.2-mile long site from industrial use into space featuring up to 800 residential units, a hotel and open space. 'The goal of this project is to shape the future of the property with the evolving needs of the local community,' said Bob Grundstrom, C.R.C.'s senior vice president of business development, in a statement. 'We recognize the importance of thoughtful growth and understand the community's concerns about high-density housing — and that's not what this is. By transitioning the property from an industrial site to a mixed-use community, we're not only creating housing and economic opportunities but also ensuring that this coastal asset serves residents and visitors for generations to come.' Nital Patel, C.R.C.'s external relations manager, said the company wants to build up to 800 residential units on about 53 acres of the property, or slightly more than half of it. They would be a mixture of single-family detached homes, townhouses and condos, with 10% complying with affordable housing policies. The space would also include up to 350 hotel rooms on approximately 16 acres, which would also feature retail and dining options. The remaining 23 acres would be open space, including a 1-mile linear park along PCH. C.R.C.'s application, submitted to the city on March 28, proposes to amend the city's Palm/Goldenwest specific plan, which currently designates 94% of the property for commercial uses. The Long Beach-based company's application also includes updates to Huntington Beach's general plan and local coastal program, since the property is in the coastal zone. The California Coastal Commission would have to approve any change of the local coastal program. The Huntington Beach Planning Commission and City Council also need to sign off on the rezoning. 'Following the required approvals, existing oil and gas facilities would be removed and the site would be restored for future development,' Patel said in an email. 'We will work closely with the city of Huntington Beach and other relevant agencies to ensure that all environmental and regulatory standards are met throughout the remediation and redevelopment process.' Patel added that development is not expected to begin for several years, and C.R.C. will continue to provide energy resources at the site in the meantime. The development news comes months after the previous council unanimously approved the Magnolia Tank Farm Project, which would also be on the site of a former oil pumping and storage facility in southeast Huntington Beach.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Digitizing for posterity: Donation funds West Kern Oil Museum's preservation project
Anyone walking into the West Kern Oil Museum in Taft can get an eyeful of the people and activities that helped shape the county's signature industry. But for a deeper look at the personal histories of individuals who spent their careers in local oil fields over the years — and staff members periodically receive requests of that kind — it takes a lot of work to dig through the museum's vast trove of photos and other resources. That process is expected to get a lot easier thanks to a local oil producer's recent donation to support the digitization of the museum's archives. Starting in probably 2026 and continuing for years to come, the museum will be putting online thousands of documents, photographs, newspaper stories, videos and digital representations of its many artifacts. To this will be added oral histories as recorded by students of Taft Union High School as part of an educational project planned to begin as soon as this year. Besides benefiting relatives of oil workers, the effort is expected to preserve fragile items for future review by academics studying the area's history. "The center will not only safeguard invaluable artifacts and records but will also create new opportunities for students and researchers to engage with the legacy of energy in California,' President and CEO Leon Francisco of California Resources Corp. — the company that made the $20,000 donation earlier this year — said in a news release. 'CRC is proud to support the West Kern Oil Museum and the development of the West Kern Research Center, which will ensure the history of Kern County's oil industry is preserved for future generations." The museum's acting director, Arianna Mace, said Wednesday the company's contribution will fund the purchase of equipment for digitizing records of all kinds, which until now is something "we just don't have the capability to do." Such work takes time, and Mace said the first items might not go online until next year. She added that the museum staffed primarily by volunteers has already made strides in uploading some of its information to an online database. No decision has been made yet on how much it will cost researchers to gain access to the online archive, but Mace said viewers may be required to pay for membership to the museum, which costs about $25 per year. Entry to the museum is free of charge but a donation is requested. The museum located at 1168 Wood St. was established by a group of local women in 1973. In addition to having more than 100,000 photographs, along with every issue of the Taft Midway Driller newspaper on microfilm, it hosts exhibits ranging from the history of local oil production to Native American occupation of the area to vintage automobiles. Getting it all into digital form, then putting it on the internet for the world to see, isn't going to be a quick process, Mace emphasized. "We're just scratching the surface right now," she said. "This is going to be an ongoing project, and we're really just starting with the photographs first. This is going to take definitely some time."
