Supervisors Agree to Wetlands Plan : Development: Koll Real Estate Group wins battles to demolish a World War II bunker and to get local OK to build 3,300 homes and restore 1,100 acres of marshland.

SANTA ANA — The Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a plan requiring the restoration of 1,100 acres of wetlands in the Bolsa Chica Reserve by developers planning to build 3,300 homes in the environmentally sensitive wetlands area.

The board’s late afternoon vote was the second defeat of the day for environmentalists who fear any development spells ecological and historical destruction for the area. Earlier in the day, a Superior Court judge refused to block demolition of a 600-foot-long World War II-era bunker that stands on a spot slated for homes and a park.

“It’s a treasure trove for future generations . . . and it’s all going to be plowed under,” said Juana Mueller, a Huntington Beach resident and board member of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, an environmental group dedicated to protecting the largest stretch of unprotected coastal marshland south of San Francisco. “Really, you want to cry. It’s all for greed.”

The board’s decision completes a round of local approvals needed before the Koll Real Estate Group could seek state and federal permission to build the sprawling project. The proposal still needs a green light from the California Coastal Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers and final ratification from supervisors.

If there are no future roadblocks, groundbreaking could begin in late 1996 or 1997, officials said.

The project, which has sparked controversy for about 20 years, overcame a major hurdle in December, when the board gave its initial approval to this plan. At Tuesday’s meeting, the board hashed out operational details, including traffic abatement and police, fire and library service for the area.

The city of Huntington Beach, which surrounds the development area, wanted the vote postponed so language could be added to an agreement between the county and the developer addressing the city’s fiscal concerns.

“That didn’t happen,” said Huntington Beach City Administrator Michael T. Uberuaga. “We feel the issue still hasn’t been properly addressed.”

But Supervisor Jim Silva, a former Huntington Beach city councilman, called for further negotiations and asked the parties to return to the board within 90 days.

“To us, this is the ribbon around the package,” said Lucy Dunn, a senior vice president for the Koll group, who said the vote ensures the development meets certain operational guidelines. “This also forces Koll to commit to restoration of 1,100 acres.”

Environmentalists hoping to preserve the 51-year-old bunker unsuccessfully argued that massive machinery needed to tear down the landmark would harm ancient Native American artifacts buried nearby.

But Orange County Superior Court Judge Tully H. Seymour sided with developers, who said the job would not hurt the artifact zone 500 to 750 feet away. Preservationists, however, say 9,000-year-old artifacts may be as near as 100 feet.

“It looks bad for the bunker,” conceded lawyer Philip A. Seymour, who represented the Bolsa Chica Land Trust and other groups opposed to the project.

The thick-walled bunker, planned as part of California’s coastal defense, was not completed by war’s end. It has been called historically important and the development company said its value will be chronicled through videos and photographs.

“We are doing everything under federal, state and local law to preserve its memory,” Dunn said.

Demolition is expected to begin in the next few days.

Times staff writer Ken Ellingwood contributed to this report.