Costa Mesa planners explore design awards

Lolita Harper

The Planning Commission is a step closer to meeting another annual

community goal this week after reviewing a program that would

publicly recognize exceptionally designed developments.

Commissioners said an award system will encourage developers to

think of new and original concepts in community planning and design,

and assist the city in the natural transition from old to modern, as

more and more buildings are being redeveloped.

Planning Commissioner Eleanor Egan said she doesn’t want to see

developers simply copying previously recognized projects in an effort

to gain favor. The award program is not intended to set precedent for

a desired type of design, but to encourage originality and

innovation, she said

“We want to encourage the idea of building something that is a

pleasure to look at as opposed to something that is boring or purely

utilitarian,” Egan said.

The Planning Commission plans to recognize a development every six

months -- once in January and again in July. Because commissioners

just missed the summer deadline, the first awards would take place in

October and then again at the beginning of the year to get the

program back on a sixth-month schedule, said Mike Robinson, the city

manager of planning and development.

Projects are eligible for nomination if they have been completed

within the designated six-month period. Criteria include overall

excellence in architecture, protection of the integrity or

enhancement of the existing neighborhood, incorporation of public art

into the overall project, and use of energy conservation features or

building concepts.

Given the recent opposition to various residential additions --

most notably two proposed second-story additions that were denied by

city leaders -- Robinson said it was important to make sure that

future projects were well-suited to the existing neighborhood.

He admitted that it may be difficult to propose innovation when

neighbors call for conformity. Developers can include pioneering

enhancements that still fit with the overall scheme of the

surrounding area, he said. In many cases, the ground-breaking design

concepts will not be aesthetic.

“It may not be visible from the outside but still shows some sort

of innovation,” Robinson said.