Timeline
The History of the Tank Farms
The redevelopment of this property presents the opportunity for the residents of Huntington Beach to enjoy public access to the shoreline and support the protection of the area’s resources. Learn more about the evolution of this area, dating all the way back to the 1800s.
Beginning in the mid-eighteen hundreds southeast Huntington Beach was an agricultural area dominated by row crops. In the 1950s, Orange County constructed a regional flood control channel on the west side of the property (Huntington Beach Channel) which separated the agricultural operations from a remnant coastal wetland on the inland side of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The adjacent power plant was constructed between 1957 and 1967 by Southern California Edison (SCE). Agricultural operations on the property ceased in the 1960s and homes to the east started to be built. Since 1972, the site included heavy industrial use with a fuel oil storage facility containing three above-ground, 25 million gallon tanks. AES Southland purchased the power plant in 1998, and later converted it to use only natural gas. With the conversion of the power plant to natural gas, there was no longer a need to store fuel oil on the Magnolia Tank Farm site. In recent years the exterior of the tanks have deteriorated and been vandalized, creating a public nuisance and a blight on the coastal landscape. In 2013, the City of Huntington Beach issued a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) to Plains All-American Pipeline for the demolition of the three storage tanks and associated pipelines and ancillary facilities. The permit allowed the demolition and removal of the storage tanks and some minor grading to facilitate drainage. Shopoff Realty Investments acquires the 29-acre Magnolia Tank Farm site, and the first draft of the Magnolia Tank Farm Specific Plan was submitted to the City. The demolition of the three storage tanks was completed and AES began using the site as a construction laydown yard. After review by city staff, the Huntington Beach Planning Commission voted to approve the re-use of the Tank Farm property Huntington Beach Planning Commission approves use of Magnolia Tank Farm site for car dealership storage Huntington Beach City Council votes to approve the revitalization of the Magnolia Tank Farm property
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Get Connected with Magnolia Tank Farm
If you have questions about any aspect of the plans for Magnolia Tank Farm we would love to hear from you.