Officials approve fairground proposal with amphitheater

Lolita Harper

COSTA MESA -- Orange County Fairground officials unanimously approved

a preliminary 10-year master plan Thursday that includes a revived

amphitheater and vowed to address details later in the process.

Board President Curt Pringle reminded audience members many times that

the plans for the site -- bordered by the Costa Mesa Freeway, Fair Drive,

Fairview Road and Arlington Drive -- were still in the early stages.

“We are simply pointing out where we want to be and will start walking

in that direction,” Pringle said.

Frank Haselton of LSA Associates -- hired to manage and develop the

master plan process -- presented the plan, which called for the reduction

of the equestrian center, more indoor exhibition space, more parking and

the rebirth of a smaller amphitheater.

Past meetings where discussions have included the master plan

attracted more than 100 people, requiring a large meeting venue and

microphone, but Thursday’s crowd fit into a small meeting room and the

discussion was more intimate.

Horse enthusiasts posted a partial victory by keeping the center at

the fairground, instead of having it moved to another location, as was

previously suggested. The master plan called for a 50% reduction of the

equestrian center, freeing up seven acres for parking.

The new facility would remove two arenas and hold about 140 animals.

No trainers or boarders would be displaced, but a handful of audience

members condemned the board’s decision to reduce the center, saying it

would negatively affect the business owners on the property.

“I hope this board keeps in perspective that our responsibility is to

the broader community,” board member Randy Smith said. “I’m not

suggesting we don’t care about the plight of the business owners, but

that should not be our focus.”

Residents, who said they were concerned not about profit margins but

property values, wanted to know specific information about the revival of

the amphitheater.

Despite a long history of resident opposition to the amphitheater,

fairground officials decided to move forward with plans to revive the now

empty concert venue while scaling back its size and profit margin. During

the annual fair, entertainment acts would perform at what was previously

known as the Pacific Ampitheatre, General Manager Becky Bailey-Findley

said.

Although future plans for the amphitheater call for a sizable

reduction -- only 140,000 square feet and 8,500 seats -- residents of

nearby College Park and Mesa Del Mar neighborhoods have been vocal

opponents to its revival, saying it was too loud.

But clamors from the residents quieted over the last month, with only

two people speaking about it during the public comment portion of the

meeting.

College Park resident Patrick Clark said he was concerned with who

would manage the facility, hoping to avoid the large profit-making rock

concerts the venue hosted in the 1980s. Officials said they were not

aware of any bids to occupy or manage the venue.