EDITORIAL

The scaffolding is finally off the former Hillgren Square, and though

there are still a few storefronts to fill, the re-christened 17th Street

Promenade looks clean and inviting following its $2-million revamping.

It also looks like a good start to long talked about revitalization

along East 17th Street.

But Costa Mesa city and business leaders need to make sure past

mistakes don’t resurface.

The biggest of these is clear during a drive around the city. Costa

Mesa is a hodgepodge of architectural designs without the unifying theme

that has proven to be a benefit for both businesses and residents in

communities such as Santa Barbara, Carmel and Dana Point.

While smaller redevelopments such as the promenade can quickly begin

altering the makeup of the community, city planners need to make sure

they are looking at revitalization on a citywide level.

Take, for instance, the promenade and another recent, highly

successful shopping center remodel -- Harbor Center. Both redevelopments

have greatly improved the look and feel of the centers. Harbor Center is

a destination for both eating and shopping now, a gathering place of

sorts in a city that can use such magnets. The 17th Street Promenade has

the potential to be the same, and it could eventually help East 17th

Street become a stretch of road that people don’t just drive through but

actually stop and spend money.

However, it will take a lot to make up for years of poor planning, and

at this point it appears the city still is destined to be a hodgepodge:

The 17th Street Promenade doesn’t look like Harbor Center, which doesn’t

look like Triangle Square.

City planners and the business leaders proposing new developments need

to put a stop to the mishmash of construction. While we are not

advocating Costa Mesa becoming drab, characterless and nondescript, the

goal of redevelopment should be to give the city a cohesive look that

makes residents proud, that helps businesses thrive and that, during a

drive through the city, lets one know they are in Costa Mesa.

Every day that goes by without that goal makes the problem more

difficult to solve.