Town Center project earns key approval

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- The City Council on Monday gave preliminary approval to

a development agreement for Commonwealth Partners’ portion of the Town

Center project.

The agreement, under intense negotiation for months, requires the

developer to provide $200,000 for Theater Arts District improvements and

to make excess parking available to the public.

“We’re thrilled that it’s done and we’re looking forward to proceeding

with a development of this quality in Costa Mesa,” said Jim Anderson, a

partner with Commonwealth. “It’s taken us awhile, but we’re done.”

Commonwealth Partners is one of the developers of the Town Center

project, which seeks to transform South Coast Metro into a

pedestrian-oriented Theater Arts District bordered by Bristol Street,

Sunflower Avenue, Avenue of the Arts and the San Diego Freeway.

Collaborating on the project with Commonwealth are the Orange County

Performing Arts Center and South Coast Partners, which owns South Coast

Plaza.

The South Coast Partners and the Center’s portions of the project were

approved earlier this year, but Commonwealth’s part has been held up

mainly because of disagreement about the length of time the developer

must maintain Isamu Noguchi’s California Scenario sculpture garden.

While both parties at a May 21 meeting finally agreed to require

Commonwealth to maintain the garden for 50 years, issues of parking and

how much money the company will have to provide for the area have kept an

agreement out of reach.

The council, which preliminarily approved the 50-year term May 21,

also approved a requirement that the developer provide the parking and

money for the Theater Arts District.

A plan for the Theater Arts District has yet to be drafted and

Commonwealth said it can’t agree to unknown amounts of parking and money.

Phil Schwartze, a spokesman for Commonwealth, has said he hopes to

persuade city officials to agree to a fixed number or a cap on the

amount.

Resident Craig Stevens expressed continued concerns for the sculpture

garden.

“I want to make sure the California Scenario stays exactly the way it

is right now. I don’t want to see any changes and I hope you feel the

same way.”

The council voted 3 to 2 to approve the agreement, with Councilwomen

Linda Dixon and Karen Robinson dissenting.

The council is expected to pass final approval on the agreement at a

future meeting, but a date has not yet been scheduled.