Council ditches current plans for West Side

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- The City Council decided Monday to draw up a completely

new West Side Specific Plan and use the revised plan -- the result of two

years of study -- only as a technical resource.

“I think what we need to do is look at the long-term goals of Costa

Mesa,” said City Councilwoman Linda Dixon, who made the motion. “I don’t

think we can piecemeal the West Side. I don’t know where Costa Mesa is

going as a city, and therefore I’m uncomfortable going any further with

this plan.”

Residents’ applause met the motion and the 4-1 vote, with Mayor Gary

Monahan dissenting.

The council was scheduled to consider a schedule for the public review

process on the newly revised plan and listened to comments from a number

of residents before deciding to scrap the plan.

Tom Egan, a Costa Mesa resident, said the revised plan had the same

fatal flaws as the original -- including that it is based on an outdated

business plan for the city rather than the current general plan.

Jose Cabanillas, a member of the West Side Improvement Assn., said the

plan fails to address several key issues, such as pollution if commercial

and residential zones are developed close together.

“There’s a lot of good in the plan, but I think it’s time to step back

and think about some specific issues,” he said.

Bill Turpit, a Latino Business Council board member, said he was

surprised by the decision.

“As long as it doesn’t drop, as long as the council insists that staff

proceed with the city vision, sticks with a time frame and moves forward,

I think it’s not bad,” he said. “But I’m concerned that [the decision]

allows some opportunity to just let the West Side sit without response to

the businesses’ and residents’ requests for improvement.”

Cindy Brenneman, a Costa Mesa resident, said she agrees with the

council’s decision.

“We need to look at the entire city and how the plan works with the

entire city,” she said. “If the council doesn’t have a clear vision of

where we’re going to be in two years, how can they vote on something for

just one little pocket of the city?”

In other news, the council voted to annex the Santa Ana Country Club

and two other unincorporated county islands.

The islands include a piece of land between the club and Bristol

Street and another parcel at the corner of Bristol Street and Santa Ana

Avenue.

The city has been attempting to negotiate an agreement to annex the

country club, at 20382 Newport Blvd., since March 1997.

According to the report, the club has remained “adamantly opposed to

becoming part of Costa Mesa,” but no one spoke against the annexation or

submitted a letter of protest at the meeting.

The city will receive 60% of the property tax share revenues for

Bristol Street if the Local Agency Formation Commission approves the

annexation. If other areas are annexed, that tax share will increase to

70%.