WHAT’S UP -- steve smith

If you live in Costa Mesa, it’s enough to give you an inferiority

complex. First, I find out from a Web site monitoring service that the

city in which I live is no more. The sleepless workers at Mind-It sent me

the following note: “Costa Mesa, California, has died.” That’s it, that’s

all she wrote.

Upon further investigation, however, I discovered that Mind-It, an online

service which notifies subscribers of any changes in designated sites,

could not access the city’s Web site, which is on my list of places to be

watched. Long live Costa Mesa.

Then, I started reading about the good folks in Santa Ana Heights,

including comments by my Daily Pilot colleague, Joe Bell, and how these

residents appear to have chosen Newport Beach over Costa Mesa as their

future home town.

I guess that’s understandable. When I travel, I often tell people I’m

from Costa Mesa and then wait for the usual quizzical look.

“Where’s that?” they always say.

“Right next to Newport Beach,” I always reply.

“Oh, I know where that is,” they say. “That’s where the (insert Newport

Beach landmark here) is, isn’t it?”

But if you live in Costa Mesa, you have a lot to be proud of right now.

Costa Mesa is, in fact, the hottest city in the county at this time.

Consider the following:

* The city is poised to add a world-class concert hall center to its

existing world-class performing arts center. The combination will make

Costa Mesa a must for all of the best performers. We may even be lucky

enough to get Soupy Sales.

* South Coast Plaza’s former Crystal Court is ready to open, with an

exciting Crate & Barrel store and elevated walkway as new features. And

even though the planners still haven’t figured out that the walk from the

main mall to Crystal Court is rough on the gams, especially with shopping

bags, and that a people-mover of some sort would have been in order, it

will still be an excellent shopping destination.

* The Yard House, a restaurant with food so good, you’ll forget about

their 180 beer taps, has just opened. The wildly successful team of

Steele Platt, Steve Reynolds, Harald Herrmann and Carlito Jocson chose

none other than our fair city for the location of the second link in

their chain. Welcome, gents.

* The Harbor Center, formerly just another rundown strip mall, has been

converted into a striking new center featuring Home Depot, T.J. Maxx &

More and the soon-to-be-reopened Nick’s, thanks to Scott Bell and the

folks at ICI Development. Note to Nick: Hurry up.

* The city’s West Side appears it is finally getting some serious

revitalization attention. The homeless people down below in Talbert Park

-- you know, the ones who were minding their own business -- have been

kicked out and plans are for a nice new strolling type of retail center

to replace what is now just what Harbor Center used to be.

* Downtown Costa Mesa is in for a face-lift, too, as plans for a

beautiful new community center are moving right along.

* The vacant Fedco store on Harbor Boulevard is rumored to be the new

home of a Target store. That’s good news for those of you who didn’t like

dropping your dough at the Huntington Beach location.

* Two words: budget surplus. This exceptionally well-run city is in the

black. Again.

* Two more words: the Fair.

But with all of this going on, we’re still second fiddle behind Newport

in the race for the annexation of Santa Ana Heights. Some, however,

don’t believe there is any controversy here. Even Costa Mayor Gary

Monahan downplayed the significance of the debate. “Following a meeting

next week,” he told me, “I plan to introduce a proposal to relinquish the

part of Santa Ana Heights that has been in the sphere of influence of

Costa Mesa.”

So, there you have it. Costa Mesa may officially take itself out of the

Santa Ana Heights issue, and that’s just fine with me. I just hope that

the reason some Heights residents prefer Newport isn’t because Costa Mesa

hasn’t officially made up its mind about the El Toro airport while

Newport Beach has come out firmly in favor of it.

If that’s true, I’d like to suggest to Santa Ana Heights residents that

they don’t sell out so cheap. Hold out for a Krispy Kreme doughnut

location on Bristol.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer. He can be

reached at (949) 642-6086 or by e-mail at o7 dailypilot@latimes.comf7 .