No moratorium, for now, on development allowed by Costa Mesa’s small-lot ordinance

Costa Mesa City Council members opted early Wednesday not to move forward with a moratorium that would halt processing of projects allowed under the city’s small-lot ordinance, which eases development standards for some residential proposals.

On a 4-1 vote at around 1 a.m., council members decided to delay such action until after they hold a study session with the Planning Commission on Sept. 12 to examine small-lot regulations.

“To do the moratorium first, it just doesn’t seem like that is the right approach … because we don’t know what we want to change,” Mayor Katrina Foley said.

The council, she added, has “to figure out what problem are we trying to solve here and then figure out the solution to that problem.”

Mayor Pro Tem Sandy Genis cast the dissenting vote, saying “the whole point of a moratorium is to catch your breath and then think about what you’re going to do.”

“If you wait to stop and catch your breath and you try to figure out what you’re doing while you’re still running, it might be too late to change direction,” she said.

The small-lot ordinance eases development standards for proposed developments of 15 or fewer detached homes in areas zoned for multifamily units.

Thirty-three projects totaling 120 units have been approved under the ordinance since its adoption in April 2014, according to the city. Nine other projects are pending.

Critics contend the ordinance permits excess development that can lead to additional traffic, noise and other quality-of-life issues.

“This small-lot ordinance has been a disaster for many neighborhoods and many neighbors,” said resident Tamar Goldmann.

Eastside resident Andrea Bell wrote in an email to the council that the ordinance “is not in the best interest to our area” and has led to parking issues and encroachments on the privacy of nearby residents.

“I have always enjoyed the area because of its charm and character; this ordinance is destroying that,” she wrote.

However, supporters of the ordinance say it encourages redevelopment and creation of housing on underused land.

“The small-lot ordinance offers an intelligent and responsible means of supporting housing under the city’s general plan,” Steve LaMotte, executive officer of the Building Industry Association of Southern California’s Orange County chapter, wrote in a letter to the council. “Housing is the foundation of vibrant and sustainable communities, and the small-lot ordinance facilitates that goal.”

Councilman Allan Mansoor said that in most cases, the number of units that can be built under the small-lot ordinance isn’t more than what would be permitted without it.

“When people say density is going to increase, I don’t see that — at least not if you define it in the number of units,” he said.

“Nobody’s talked to people who have moved into these places,” said Councilman Jim Righeimer. “Seriously, I bet you 95% of them are very happy with their house and where they live.”

Genis, though, said she thinks design also is an issue, as small-lot projects are subject to lower open-space and building-distance requirements than other developments.

“What happens is the structures are considerably larger, which has a significant impact on the character of a neighborhood,” she said.

Chick-fil-A appeal pulled from agenda

A proposal to build a Chick-fil-A restaurant on the former site of a Grant Boys outdoor-gear store was pulled from the council agenda Tuesday hours before the 6 p.m. start of the meeting.

City Clerk Brenda Green said the project’s applicant — listed in city documents as Ed Hale, who is representing the Elaine and Steven Grant Living Trust, which owns the property — requested that it be withdrawn.

It wasn’t immediately clear why that request was made or when the item might return.

Council members had been scheduled to decide whether to uphold an April 10 Planning Commission decision to deny the proposal to build the 1,999-square-foot fast-food restaurant at 1750 Newport Blvd.

The property has been vacant since Grant Boys closed in 2015.

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