Townhomes replace apartments in Home Ranch proposal

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- It’s official: The Home Ranch proposal now has

single-family homes and townhouses, not apartments.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons representatives first announced they would be

willing to build high-quality, single-family apartments or condominiums

instead of high-density apartments during public field trips to the site

in April and May.

At a Planning Commission study session Monday, they made it official,

showing possible housing combinations of single-family homes and

townhomes.

“In our discussions with community leaders and appointed officials and

during our outreach efforts, we heard loudly and clearly a desire for

more home ownership,” Segerstrom spokesman Paul Freeman said Friday. “The

community said no apartments. Fine, there are no more apartments, it’s

exclusively home ownership. The community spoke, we listened.”

The plans for the site -- a lima bean farm bordered by the San Diego

Freeway, Fairview Road, Harbor Boulevard and SUnflower Avenue -- have not

been finalized, and Freeman said no decision has been made about the

exact number of homes that will be proposed.

But Freeman said the two conceptual plans presented to the Planning

Commission on Monday had densities averaging no more than 12 homes per

acre, which is consistent with the general plan for the property.

One plan was more dense than the other but had a bigger park; another

was a little less dense with a smaller park, Freeman said.

Both plans fulfill the lot-size requirements newly approved by the

City Council this week.

Freeman said the mix of townhomes and single-family houses makes a lot

of sense.

“The single-family homes are going to be consistent with the new

standards and townhomes, while they are not what you would call

affordable, would be affordable for many people, including city

employees,” he said. “They will help address the jobs and housing balance

and will be a lot more attractive than apartments.”

The changes on the horizon will not require the company to conduct a

new environmental impact study, however, because the project will remain

within the maximums that were studied, he said.

The environmental impact report that was completed studied a project

with a 308,000-square-foot Ikea furniture store, 791,050 square feet of

office space, 252,648 square feet of industrial business and 464

apartments.

Planning Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley said that residents have

been concerned about density and that the changes are addressing that

concern.

Mayor Libby Cowan said she thinks the proposal will help address the

balance between jobs and housing in Costa Mesa.

“I think what they are proposing is a quality housing product of both

single-family homes and townhomes that will address some of my concerns

about affordability,” she said. “While there are still concerns about the

job and housing balance, [the problem] can’t be all on the Segerstrom’s

shoulders. I certainly supported the higher density, but we can’t expect

it to be all up to them.”

Councilman Chris Steel said he would be in favor of Home Ranch

residences consisting of all single-family houses.

“I want the lots to be as big as possible and as nice and high-class

or upscale as possible,” he said. “After all, this is the Segerstroms and

we expect the best. Still, I feel there should be a sports park -- maybe

an ice skating rink and a skateboard park -- in the project, maybe near

the Ikea. I think it would fit in really nice up there if it is not

necessarily near the housing.”