Inside CITY HALL

Jennifer Kho

GENERAL PLAN

Community members will today have their first chance to speak about

the city’s draft general plan.

The plan is a comprehensive overview governing the city’s housing,

community design, highways, bikeways and land use for the next 20 years.

Residents will also be able to comment on the draft environmental

impact report, which identifies the effects the plan would have on

transportation, air quality and noise, if the plan is approved.

The city will be accepting public comments on the plan until Aug. 9.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The commission is not expected to take any action on

the plan, but will listen to public comments.

BEACON BAY

Beacon Bay Enterprises has withdrawn its request to subdivide the

former Beacon Bay Auto Wash property into two lots, one for vehicle sales

and one for vehicle storage.

Now, the company is planning to keep the property as one lot, but to

use the front half for vehicle sales and the back half for vehicle

storage.

If the lot had been subdivided, the company could have used different

driveways for each lot.

According to a letter submitted by Wesley Taylor, a representative for

the company, Beacon Bay Enterprises is in escrow to sell the property at

2059 Harbor Blvd. as one lot to Robins Properties.

The Planning Commission was originally scheduled to review the request

at the June 25 meeting, but the review was postponed twice and scheduled

for Monday.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The Planning Commission is expected to approve the new

application with the condition that the business use only the Harbor

Street driveway and that the Charle Street driveway be walled.

Staff is also recommending that the commission deny the company’s

request for 10- and 15-foot landscape setbacks. The requirements call for

15- and 20-foot setbacks, respectively.

FRESH EXPRESS

The commission will consider permitting Fresh Express Market to open a

1,600-square-foot convenience store in the three-story Harbor Plaza/Pain

Center building at 2790 Harbor Blvd., Suite 119.

The store’s hours of operation will from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays

through Saturdays. The store is not proposing to sell alcohol and would

be required to apply for a special permit if it decides to sell alcohol

in the future.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The commission is expected to approve the request.

BREWERY

The commission is scheduled to review a request to convert the vacant

Bertolini’s restaurant into a microbrewery.

Karl Strauss Breweries proposed adding a 2,000-square-foot covered

outdoor dining patio on the north and east sides of the building at 901-A

South Coast Drive.

Part of the patio would encroach 7 feet into the required 20-foot

landscape border next to South Coast Drive.

WHAT TO EXPECT: The commission is expected to approve the application.

NEXT MEETING:

WHAT: Costa Mesa Planning Commission

WHERE: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. today

INFORMATION: (714) 754-5245