SEAL BEACH : Petition Drive by Mola Supporters

Residents fighting on behalf of Mola Development Corp.’s controversial plan to build 335 houses on the Hellman Ranch property will begin circulating petitions this weekend to place the issue before the voters.

While the Wetlands Restoration Society has fought Mola’s plans to build the project, those who support the development say it will provide the city with 41.4 acres of environmentally valuable wetlands, will preserve and restore Gum Grove Park and provide a new community park.

The new group, called Seal Beach Citizens for Parks, Open Space and Responsible Government, includes Mayor Edna Wilson, Councilman Joe Hunt, seven former mayors and more than 50 other residents.

If group leaders collect signatures from 15% of registered voters, or about 2,700 people, the council then has the option of approving the measure or calling a special election to decide the question.

The city’s original approval of the project last October was rescinded by an Orange County Superior Court commissioner because Seal Beach’s state-required housing plan was out of date when the council approved the Mola project. Though the new housing plan has since been declared valid, a new City Council voted to reject the proposal and Mola, which is helping to fund the petition drive, has sued the city over its action.