Costa Mesa groups air housing, open space and traffic worries about general plan update
The proposed update to Costa Mesa’s general plan is meant to serve as a blueprint for future development, outlining a vision for how the city will look decades down the line.
That vision came under fire Thursday from community groups that said Costa Mesa’s future should feature less high-density housing, more open space and fewer cars on local roadways than the proposed plan would allow.
“Many of the residents believe that, yes, we do need growth and we do need development, but it’s very important to plan carefully at this point to envision a future that manages growth and traffic in a reasonable and responsible way and retains the character of the city we love so much,” said Robin Leffler, president of Costa Mesans for Responsible Government. “Many of the residents have a vision for this future, just with a less radical density than proposed and with more modest traffic increases than proposed.”
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Costa Mesans for Responsible Government partnered with Costa Mesa First to sponsor a town hall meeting Thursday at the Neighborhood Community Center to discuss the general plan, among other topics.
Representatives of the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance and the Banning Ranch Conservancy also spoke and answered questions from the crowd of about 140 people.
Speakers said the proposed general plan update under review by the City Council would allow too much high-density growth, spawn gridlock traffic and harm local air quality.
The update would permit construction of about 3,000 more dwellings, most of them high-density, than what is allowed in the current general plan.
Those new homes, along with other types of development, would increase traffic on local roads by about 22% at build-out, city figures show. The current general plan would lead to about 21% more traffic than currently exists.
“Retaining the suburban character of Costa Mesa without high-density housing was a primary goal of many residents in our city,” said Eastside resident Anna Vrska. “Preserving open space was also a big concern.
“Is that what we’re getting with this general plan?” she asked as several people in the audience shook their heads. “I don’t think so.”
Council members will discuss the general plan during a study session at 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive. The council is scheduled to vote on it June 21.
Speakers at Thursday’s town hall also urged those in attendance to support two initiatives proposed by local residents groups.
One is a growth-control measure sponsored by Costa Mesa First that would give residents the power to vote on some larger developments in the city.
Supporters say that measure, which the council this week officially put on the November ballot, would give residents a much-needed say in what projects move forward.
Opponents say it’s overly restrictive and could expose the city to lawsuits.
The Orange County registrar of voters office is authenticating petition signatures for an initiative submitted by the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance.
That proposal seeks to maintain the park as open space and would require local voter approval of several types of changes there, including proposals to expand operating hours, install additional lighting or build permanent structures.
If the registrar validates at least 4,995 of the more than 7,000 signatures submitted, the initiative would be eligible to go on November’s ballot.
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Luke Money, lucas.money@latimes.com
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
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