Public comments sought on scope of environmental report for proposed residential, retail and office project in Costa Mesa

As the environmental review process ramps up for One Metro West, a mixed-use community proposed for northwestern Costa Mesa, residents are invited to give their thoughts on how to shape that analysis.

An opportunity to do so is coming June 5, when the city will hold a public meeting at 5 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Senior Center, 695 W. 19th St.

The project would bring 1,057 residential units, 6,000 square feet of retail, a 25,000-square-foot office building and 1.7 acres of open and park space to a 15.6-acre site at 1683 Sunflower Ave., north of the 405 Freeway.

Feedback received at the meeting will be considered when determining the scope and content of an environmental impact report for the project. The EIR will examine how the proposal could affect everything from cultural resources to noise to transportation to air and water quality.

Community members also can mail written comments to Principal Planner Minoo Ashabi at the city Development Services Department, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or email minoo.ashabi@costamesaca.gov.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2EFHA2H.

One Metro West would include studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments in three residential structures with integrated parking garages. Beverly Hills-based Rose Equities has committed to designating 15% of those units for people with incomes considered low, very low or moderate.

“We look forward to every opportunity to engage with our neighbors and to learn what they know of and think about our One Metro West community,” Brent Stoll, a partner at Rose Equities, wrote in an email. “It is a learning process for everyone. The comment period offers another of many ways we collaborate and communicate with our Costa Mesa neighbors, residents and civic leaders.”

The firm, he added, has “been actively engaging with our neighbors and community residents” and is “looking forward to meeting and speaking to thousands more.”

The property eyed for the project is just west of South Coast Collection and currently contains a 345,400-square-foot industrial building.

Even if the project eventually gets the necessary sign-offs from City Hall, its ultimate fate will be up to local voters because of Measure Y, a 2016 ballot initiative that requires public approval of developments that require a general plan amendment or zoning change and would add 40 or more dwelling units or 10,000 or more square feet of commercial space on top of what exists.

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