General plan, ballot initiatives, Banning Ranch among topics of Costa Mesa meeting Thursday
Community groups will stage a town hall meeting in Costa Mesa on Thursday to discuss the proposed update to the city’s general plan and measures that are expected to go before local voters in November.
Costa Mesa First and Costa Mesans for Responsible Government are co-sponsoring the meeting, planned for 6:30 p.m. at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Ave.
Those groups, along with the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance and the Banning Ranch Conservancy, are scheduled to give presentations.
A major topic of discussion will be the general plan — a state-mandated document that is meant as a blueprint for future development in the city.
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The City Council is scheduled to vote this month on a proposed update to the plan.
Thursday’s speakers will touch on issues including neighborhood preservation, parks and open space, along with a fiercely debated residential and commercial development proposed for Newport Beach’s Banning Ranch.
The meeting also will address initiatives expected to be on the Nov. 8 ballot, including one sponsored by Costa Mesa First that would give city voters the power to approve or reject some larger development projects in town.
The initiative would require voter approval for projects needing a zoning change or general plan amendment and entailing construction of 40 or more dwelling units or at least 10,000 square feet of commercial space or generating more than 200 average daily vehicle trips.
Another measure that could be on the ballot is sponsored by the Fairview Park Preservation Alliance. That effort, which seeks to maintain the park as open space, would require voter approval for several types of changes there, including proposals to expand operating hours, install additional lighting or build permanent structures.
In early May, proponents of the measure submitted more than 7,000 signatures in support of putting it on the ballot.
If the Orange County registrar of voters office determines that at least 4,995 of the signatures are from registered voters in Costa Mesa, the initiative would be eligible to go before local voters this fall.
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Luke Money, lucas.money@latimes.com
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
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