Proposed surf park in California desert is rejected by La Quinta City Council
Bryan Brewer
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A planned surf park near Los Angeles, California, is being called “outrageous” by a local council, after a community meeting rejected a bid to build the facility.
The planned site is proposed for a 4,000-acre area in the La Quinta area, just south of the Salton Sea.
The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that a committee of about five council members voted against the use of about $20 million in federal funds for a surf park. The committee members said they were concerned the park could affect wildlife and other environmental issues and that the area would become a tourist trap.
At Wednesday’s meeting, officials representing the proposed park and its backers said they didn’t want to spoil the area’s historic and natural character.
“It’s hard to put a value on those things,” said Craig Schreib, vice president of the La Quinta Economic Development Center, which has been working with the county on the project.
“When you go into a canyon, you go to a mountain, it’s a different world. It’s hard to get those values across to someone who is more oriented with the beach lifestyle. It’s hard to understand,” Schreib said.
Officials argue there is too much uncertainty about the project to move ahead, given how little has been done at the site. The project is currently at the approval stage with an environmental review, and the California Coastal Commission has not approved the project.
The project is estimated to last 16 years.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty for them right now,” said La Quinta High School English teacher Tom Davis, who attended the meeting and represents some of his students who have expressed opposition to the project.
“The ocean has more life than any other in the entire world,” Davis said. “It’s not a zoo. They’re just a huge amount of life