COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

Here are some of the decisions coming out of the City Council meeting

on Monday.

SECOND-STORY ADDITION

WHAT HAPPENED:

The proposed two-story addition on Aviemore Terrace that sparked

widespread neighborhood opposition, a possible view ordinance and

subsequent infighting among city leaders was postponed by the council at

the request of an unnamed letter writer.

John Clark, the owner of a home in the 1100 block of Aviemore Terrace,

has been asking to build a second-floor master suite and expand the

ground floor for a breakfast nook, kitchen and study and his request is

getting kicked from government entity to government entity.

In February, the city zoning administrator approved the addition of a

second story to the 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.”

Councilman Chris Steel appealed the zoning administrator’s decision

and brought it in front of the City Council. Council members voted to

transfer it to the Planning Commission. Planning commissioners

reluctantly approved the addition -- saying there was no city code

prohibiting it -- and also asked planning staffers to look into the

possibility of an ordinance that would protect homeowners’ views.

Councilman Gary Monahan appealed the commission’s action to review a

“view ordinance,” saying the commission overstepped its bounds as an

advisory committee. Furthermore, Steel also appealed the commission’s

general approval of the project, which, once again, brings the

second-story addition on Aviemore Terrace before the council.

WHAT IT MEANS:

This issue will be heard July 15.

VOTE: 5-0 to postpone the issue.

INOPERABLE CARS

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members granted the request of a local car enthusiast

organization and agreed to postpone a decision on inoperable cars until

the next meeting.

The Costa Mesa Cruisers, a group of car enthusiasts and hobbyists, has

launched a citywide campaign -- which includes peppering local

establishments with fliers, taking out ads in the Daily Pilot and forming

a Web site -- designed to motivate the public to encourage the council to

change the codes regarding cars that cannot be driven.

Leaders of the group asked for the item to be delayed to give members

more time to put together an organized and detailed presentation to the

council.

The council was expected to review the possibility of lessening the

restrictions that now bind inoperable cars.

Before the summer of 2000, city codes allowed residents to store cars

that didn’t run on a driveway leading to a garage -- provided it was

covered with an acceptable cover -- or in a yard area that was screened

by a 6-foot-high wall or fence, a staff report shows.

New codes passed in 2000 banned those options and made it legal to

store an inoperable vehicle only in a garage or another enclosed

building.

When minor revisions to other parts of the same property maintenance

code came before the City Council in March 2002, Councilman Gary Monahan

asked the Planning Commission to review the law and consider lessening

the restrictions.

In May, planning commissioners voted unanimously to uphold existing

property maintenance requirements, which mandate that inoperable vehicles

be stored in an “enclosed building” -- most likely a garage.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Council members will revisit the issue July 15.

VOTE: 5-0, in favor of postponing the issue.

NEXT MEETING

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. July 22

WHERE: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

INFORMATION: (714) 754-5245

* Compiled by Lolita Harper