Bluffs rezoning issue held
Lolita Harper
The committee charged with forging the future for the Westside
decided Thursday night to postpone any recommendation on the possible
rezoning of the bluffs from industrial to residential use.
Most members of the Costa Mesa Redevelopment Action Committee
decided against a formal recommendation to the City Council regarding
the zoning of the most western part of the city, saying it was too
soon to make such a large decision.
Because of the size of the committee, which has nearly 80 members,
the votes were made with raised hands. Officials said a large
majority was not ready to give the council direction on the issue.
Chris Fewel, a member and former planning commissioner who voted
against making a recommendation Thursday night, said such an
entangled issue required more study and deliberation.
“My personal concern was that it would be irresponsible to decide
something that complex in 20 minutes,” Fewel said, adding that many
committee members were not familiar with the issue.
Fellow member Eric Bever, who is well-versed in the redevelopment
process, disagreed.
“It is something that can be explained in five minutes, but they
wouldn’t even let us talk about it,” Bever said.
Bever was one of nine members who sent a letter to city officials
asking that rezoning of the bluffs be officially placed on the
Community Redevelopment Agency Action Committee Agenda. The letter
requested the committee take a formal vote on whether to advise the
council to begin the process of rezoning the Westside bluffs.
Rezoning of the Westside bluffs has been a hot topic at City Hall
for years, with advocates arguing that the portion of the city
closest to the ocean -- and with ocean views -- should be dedicated
to single-family homes, not industrial buildings.
In February, Planning Department staffers asked the council for
direction on whether the rezoning process should be further studied.
The council voted to allow the redevelopment committee to weigh in on
the issue.
Bever said he and other members wanted to initiate the discussion
to get a formal recommendation to the council to expedite the
long-term process. Their efforts, however, were stymied.
Fewel said he was not necessarily against the idea of rezoning,
just the effort to force a quick decision.
“Too many people were grossly misinformed about the consequences
of such an action,” Fewel said, “and when there is that kind of
misinformation in a group this large, the results of a vote could be
dangerous.”
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