The Pacific Airshow has received approval of a coastal development permit from the California Coastal Commission, propelling plans for the event to roar through the skies of Huntington Beach again this fall.

The Coastal Commission has voted unanimously to approve a five-year permit to operate Pacific Airshow LLC — albeit with a list of 21 special conditions that the show must abide by to mitigate impacts on natural resources and public access to the beach.

Among them, Pacific Airshow LLC must pay $274,758 to the California State Lands Commission for public access and habitat enhancement projects at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, to resolve unpermitted development.

“There’s not a single person that doesn’t appreciate a good air show,” said Commissioner Raymond Jackson, who made the motion to issue the permit. “It clearly promises to be wonderful. I appreciate the conditions. I think they’re crystal clear and more than reasonable. I’m thrilled that the staff and the applicant have worked so hard together to move this forward.”

Commissioner Mike Wilson, while voting to approve the permit, noted that there has been an issue of trust, not only between the Coastal Commission and the air show but between the show and community members.

“There’s work to be done there,” he said.

The air show has been at odds with the Coastal Commission in recent times. In February 2024, the commission sent a letter to Pacific Airshow Director Kevin Elliott, who runs local event management company Code Four, and other city officials. The letter stated concerns that the 2023 air show had privatized land and water in Huntington Beach without a proper coastal development permit.

Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge then sent Elliott a cease and desist letter in September. The letter stated the need to improve public coastal access at the 2024 air show, including access to state tidelands and waters near the Huntington Beach Pier, and required the operator to submit a public access plan.

Elliott said during a recent Coastal Commission meeting that he understood concerns about a five-year permit, but that it was necessary for the continuity and financial stability of the event.

“We can’t well sell partnerships or any kind of relationships, with respect to hospitality or ways to make this financially sustainable, if we don’t have the certainty that we can hold the event predicated on our compliance with the conditions,” Elliott said. “We’ve obviously worked closely with the staff to integrate an adaptive management plan that allows for annual reassessment of the potential impacts to the coastal resources, so we hope that will meet with the commission’s satisfaction.”

Elliott said during his comments that the show was expensive to produce and has not made a profit to date.

Huckelbridge said a five-year permit would still allow for annual review of biological impacts and public access.

“If that information shows that either conditions of the permit aren’t followed, or there are impacts that were not adequately addressed in the current permit, we’d have the ability to reopen,” she said. “[We could] bring it back to you for an amendment, a new permit, whatever the appropriate path is to address whatever issues come up.”

Coastal Commission staff said during the meeting that they had discussed a “no flyover” designation for the wetlands with the California State Lands Commission and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, but they had not received updates.

The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve sits in the flight path for pilots flying to Huntington Beach from the show staging area at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos.

Elliott said it was not possible to avoid the reserve entirely due to safety concerns, which a staff report addendum agreed with.

“There are approximately 100 aircraft that fly over there every single day,” he said. “As a matter of fact, the air show actually reduces the number of overflights of the Bolsa Chica significantly, because of the flight restrictions imposed over the top of it.”

Speakers in favor of the Pacific Airshow during public comments included Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns and state Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Huntington Beach).

“The patriotism it brings to the whole area ... it is one of the best things in the whole Southern California area,” Burns said.

But Mel Nutter, president of the nonprofit Amigos de Bolsa Chica, said every possible measure should be taken to protect wildlife in the Bolsa Chica space.

“We think it really is important that the monitoring be treated as a baseline information for 2025, so that you can judge the potential impact of future events,” Nutter said. “Past events were not fully assessed. Rather than blindly giving this event a five-year green light, we believe that you and the wetlands should have the benefit of comprehensive review of the event.”

Michelle Black, speaking on behalf of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, said she didn’t trust the city or the air show to protect the reserve.

“The city allowed the air show to operate for years without a [coastal development permit],” she said.

Szabo writes for Times Community News.