Councilwoman requests more Home Ranch housing

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Developers of the Home Ranch project said Monday they

would be willing to convert 14 acres of proposed industrial space to

residential use if the details can be worked out in a timely fashion.

In an unexpected move Monday, Councilwoman Linda Dixon asked Paul

Freeman, the spokesman for C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, if the developer would

be willing to add more housing to the project and move the current

industrial site farther south.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about better land use, but one part that is

still troublesome to me is the housing element,” Dixon said.

The jobs and housing imbalance -- often addressed by those who oppose

the project -- is a major concern, Dixon said. There is also a great

demand for owner-occupied housing in the city, she pointed out.

Freeman said Dixon’s scenario was plausible as long as the details can

be worked out quickly and a decision can still be made this month.

“We have an obligation to use our best efforts to move the project

along. We have prospective tenants, and we don’t want to lose them,”

Freeman said.

If altered, the new proposal would accommodate 12 homes per acre on

the parcel of lima bean farm that backs up to the Los Angeles Times

building and is bordered by Susan Street, South Coast Drive and Sunflower

Avenue, Freeman said.

Townhouses would be more dense against the Times building, where

builders would add a sound wall, a berm and landscaping to reduce the

noise from the printing presses and the rail spur, Freeman said. Homes in

the project would be increased to 366 -- the number recommended in the

1990 general plan.

A mix of detached, single-family homes and triplexes is still planned

for the 16-acre plot of land east of Susan Street and north of South

Coast Drive. Standard Pacific, chosen as the builder, has designed the

homes around a recreation center and community park.

Plans for the possible additional housing are still being hashed out

by the Segerstrom team. Freeman said C.J. Segerstrom & Sons are willing

to work on the 11th-hour addition as long as there is support from the

council. The addition of houses will also result in a little less traffic

and, hopefully, stronger community support, Freeman said.

“I think this is a good thing from the point of view of the

community,” Freeman said. “Although it was different than what we were

proposing, it’s still good land use.”

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 lolita.harper@latimes.comf7 .

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