COSTA MESA : City to Use Farmland for Athletic Fields

In an effort to fill the need for more athletic fields in Costa Mesa, city officials are finalizing plans to turn 18 acres of farmland into soccer fields and basketball courts.

The plan to convert the farm next to Costa Mesa High School, 2650 Fairview Road, is nearly complete and will be presented to each of the three governmental agencies next month, officials said.

The city proposes to convert most of the land into a football stadium with a track, soccer fields and basketball courts for public use. Part of the property, next to the fairgrounds, will become additional parking for Orange County Fair patrons during its run each summer.

School and fair officials have not agreed on how much the fair will pay for the additional parking space. But City Manager Allan L. Roeder said the fair tentatively has agreed to pay the school district $100,000 each year for the next 30 years for use of the land.

Roeder added that residents of the Mesa del Mar area, next to Costa Mesa High School, have expressed concern that use of the fields will increase noise and traffic. To mitigate that, the plan includes a five-acre buffer between the fields and the homes.