COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL PREVIEW

California Scenario

The 54-acre South Coast Plaza Town Center would have been granted

approval by now were it not for questions surrounding the California

Scenario garden. Three partners are trying to build the Town Center

project, but one partner is being held up.

In a months-long debate, the City Council has requested that

Commonwealth Partners LLC maintain the sculpture garden, created by Isamu

Noguchi in 1982. The outcome of the debate lies in the duration of the

upkeep.

The council originally requested it be kept up for 25 years, but has

since asked for it to maintained “in perpetuity.” Commonwealth has not

agreed to do that.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The council has been recommended to again continue decisions

pertaining to the Town Center project to a later meeting.

East 17th Street

Continued at the council’s May 7 meeting because the item was

incorrectly labeled as regular business on the agenda rather than as a

public hearing, the council will discuss realigning East 17th Street.

The council has two options. It can vote for Plan B, with its narrower

turn lanes and bus bays -- between 10 and 10 1/2 feet wide -- and option

for a pedestrian-oriented shopping area, or Plan E, which calls for wider

turn lanes and bus bays -- between 11 and 13 feet wide.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The council has received varying recommendations on the matter.

The East 17th Street Ad Hoc Committee, which narrowed down the plans

to two, favored a four-lane street and recommends the council adopt Plan

B because committee members feared Plan E would pave way for the city to

later add two lanes to the street.

Meanwhile, Peter Naghavi, transportation services manager, suggests

the council go with Plan E because he said the street should be widened

to six lanes.

Residential development standards

The council will ponder approving a second reading of the city’s

municipal code relating to residential development standards. At its May

7 meeting, the council voted 3-2 with Mayor Libby Cowan and Councilman

Gary Monahan dissenting, on one portion of the standards that would

require that all home lot sizes be a minimum 4,000 square feet and an

average 4,500 square feet.

The next day, developer Jeff Pratt of El Camino Partners LLC said that

decision would kill his project to replace the rundown El Camino Shopping

Center with 19 to 29 homes. The Planning Commission had recommended the

council adopt standards calling for minimum lot sizes of 3,000 square

feet with average lot sizes of 3,500 square feet.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Councilman Chris Steel, who voted with the majority May 7, said May 8

that he would suggest the council rectify its decision to ensure that the

El Camino housing project can occur. So, the council may hold off on the

second reading of that portion of the standards and instead call for a

new vote on the matter.

Parking prohibition study

The City Council will consider approving a pilot program that would

prohibit parking in the Mesa Del Mar tract on street-sweeping days. Set

up on a six-month trial period, city officials would study the

neighborhood to determine if the program could work citywide.

The city is proposing Mesa Del Mar for the pilot program because it

includes easy freeway access, dead-end streets, apartments, single-family

homes, short and regular driveways -- many of the variables that could

affect street cleaning in the rest of the city, said Peter Naghavi,

transportation service manager.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The city staff recommends the council approve the program. At the end

of the six months, the staff will report its findings to the council.

FYI

*WHAT: Costa Mesa City Council

*WHERE: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

*WHEN: 6:30 p.m. today

*INFORMATION: (714) 754-5245