Costa Mesa City Council meeting preview

NEWPORT BOULEVARD

Council members tonight will consider scrapping a plan to widen

Newport Boulevard and return $700,000 in design funding to the Orange

County Transportation Authority.

The intersections of Newport Boulevard at 17th and 19th streets have

been identified as some of the worst in the county. Heavy congestion

through that area has caused drivers to cut through the Eastside

residential area instead.

City traffic engineers worked with transportation authorities on a

plan that called for an additional lane for sections of Newport Boulevard

traveling northbound from 17th Street to 19th Street and a southbound

portion from Broadway to 17th Street.

In August, the City Council approved the recommendation and formed a

committee to review options for improvements to Newport Boulevard. Costa

Mesa officials also secured $700,000 from the Orange County

Transportation Authority for the design of the widening project.

The committee -- mostly made up of Eastside residents and downtown

business owners -- reviewed data for the past six months and recommended

postponing the proposed project. According to a staff report, members of

the committee suggest the city pursue other improvement options for

Newport Boulevard and try for other grants.

What to expect:

The City Council is expected to go forward with plans to widen Newport

and keep the funding.

TWO-STORY ADDITION

Councilman Chris Steel wants the City Council to review a previous

city decision to allow a Westside homeowner to construct a second story,

saying the addition could compromise the “integrity” of the neighborhood.

Last month, the city zoning administrator approved the addition of a

second story to a home on Aviemore Terrace, as well as the expansion of

the ground floor. According to a staff report, the proposed change

required a review because it called for a 1,154-square-foot master

bedroom suite on the top floor and the city needed to ensure the “remodel

[was] compatible with its neighborhood.”

The city found the addition to be harmonious with the surrounding

homes because many other residences have added second floors, the report

stated.

What to expect:

Council members are expected to uphold the approval.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT

The city has received about $1.4 million in grant funding from federal

housing authorities and will decide tonight how to distribute a portion

of that to various local programs.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is scheduled to

give the city $1.4 million in Community Development Block Grant funds, of

which 15% can be used for public service programs for low moderate income

residents.

According to a staff report, 24 programs asked for a total of $406,000

in funding but the city only has $210,750 to give. Costa Mesa also limits

public service grant funding to 20 per year.

Twenty programs and corresponding funding amounts were determined by

the Redevelopment and Residential Rehabilitation Committee. Among those

set to receive money are Families Costa Mesa, Save Our Youth and Someone

Cares Soup Kitchen.

What to expect:

The council is expected to allocate the recommended funds.

FYI

* WHO: Costa Mesa City Council meeting

* WHEN: 6:30 p.m. today

* WHERE: Council Chambers at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.