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.”