Costa Mesa considers buying lot near Shalimar Park for more west-side open space

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission Tuesday will give initial consideration to a plan by the city to acquire a residential property near Shalimar Park in order to expand a rare recreational space in the highly developed west-side area.

Panelists will review whether the purchase of the property, at 778 Shalimar Drive, conforms to the city’s general plan in a meeting rescheduled from its typical second-Monday format, which would have fallen on Veterans Day.

Such a transaction would require the city to demolish a 3,390-square-foot fourplex on the .16-acre parcel, then draw up plans for expansion of Shalimar Park. Those actions would require separate Planning Commission approval.

Playground features at Shalimar Park back up to housing that could be demolished, if the city acquires the property and expands the pocket park.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“Acquiring this land would nearly double Shalimar Park’s footprint, creating a valuable opportunity for enhancement to a local community that is recognized as being one of the most densely populated and highly developed areas in the city,” reads a staff report for Tuesday’s meeting.

The pocket park, located at 782 Shalimar Drive, is currently undergoing about $2.3 million in improvements thanks, in part, to a budget allocation from state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) in 2022. The renovation was approved this summer with input from the public.

Dedicated in 1999, Shalimar was made possible by city officials who, two years prior, purchased the property for a reported $191,000 and demolished an old, boarded-up residence that had been there, the Los Angeles Times reported.

City leadership in 1997 expressed hope the park might help transform a neighborhood known as an “epicenter of gang troubles, drug sales and illicit activities.”

A conceptual design for improvements at Costa Mesa’s Shalimar Park, submitted by Community Works Design Group, includes a mini-pitch soccer area and a sports theme.

(Screenshot by Sara Cardine)

“It would give the street a place for the kids to go, so there would be a better sense of community there,” then-Councilman Joe Erickson said of the effort at the time.

Zoned R-3 for multifamily residential use, and with a land use designation sanctioning high-density living accommodations, the parcel is listed for sale on the real estate website Redfin for $1.75 million.

Costa Mesa’s land use matrix permits parks and playgrounds in R-3 zones, according to city staff. While the general plan establishes a goal of approximately 4.26 acres of park space per 1,000 residents, the planning area in which Shalimar Park sits offers much less open space — just 2.34 acres per 1,000 people.

“Therefore, the location of the acquisition of the subject property for park purposes will assist in achieving the city’s goal of 4.26 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents within the most densely populated and highly developed area in the city, the staff report concludes.

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission will meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive. For the meeting agenda, visit costamesaca.gov.