Next week, the California Coastal Commission decides if it will allow Huntington Beach to change zoning on The Ridge, a five-acre piece of Bolsa Chica State Beach, to accommodate a planned housing project. The problem is that, according to those opposing rezoning, the site is home to 9,000 years of artifacts from local Native American groups, reports the LA Times. Those in favor of the rezoning are quick to point to a survey of the plot that determined it was unlikely that anything of significance would be found in the area, but there's a lot of room for skepticism: A survey of nearby Brightwater land by the same firm found the same results, but digging actually turned up "about 100,000 artifacts and roughly 200 ancient remains." This whole thing's been up in the air since 2010, when the city initially ok'd the zoning change but was slapped with a lawsuit by the Bolsa Chica Land Trust. Legal action was paused "under a mutual agreement among the three parties until coastal commissioners hear the issue," which is going down on January 8.
· Opponents Say Housing Plan Would Destroy Native American Site [LA Times]
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