WATER is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

By Jim Tortolano
Orange County Tribune

On the same evening when the Garden Grove City Council met to hear comments from GKN, the company whose factory suffered the chemical crisis that forced the evacuation of 50,000 people over Memorial Day weekend, it took a big step to build something that will be good news to at least some residents.

STEVE CARLIN, GKN senior VP (Tribune photo).

At a special session starting at 5 p.m., several rooms in the Community Meeting Center were filled with residents and others anxious to both hear from a GKN representative as well as express their own concerns.

Almost without exception, the public comments condemned GKN Aerospace on Western Avenue in Garden Grove, with many for blaming it for lax safety measures, with some advocating a complete shutdown of the facility.

Steve Carlin, a senior vice president of GKN, made an appearance, expressing sympathy with the hardships of those people who were evacuated.

“On behalf of GKN and the Garden Grove plant, I want to say I’m sorry this event, this incident occurred. I understand what a disruptive event it was, and how unsettling it is to the greater community.”

He agreed – at the urging of Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein – to return to conduct a “town hall” meeting so the public can ask questions of GKN directly.

But when asked about removal of chemical vats or other concerns, he said demurred, saying, “we are at the very early stages of evaluating.”

At a later regular meeting on Tuesday, the council voted 7-0 in favor of a “supplemental environmental impact report” that will help clear the way for the construction of a 23-story, 500-room Nickelodeon-themed hotel on Harbor Boulevard, south of Chapman Avenue.

Kam Sang, developer of the \project, said it would be Garden Grove’s answer to Disneyland. “You can take your child to Anaheim to see Mickey Mouse, and then come back to Garden Grove to stay with SpongeBob Squarepants,” he said.