Westside needs true improvements and proper zoning

In “What the Westside means to Costa Mesa’s economy,” (From the

Chamber, Aug. 26), Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce President Ed

Fawcett sets up a straw man in the form of a premise that seems to

say that those of us who are asking for proper zoning on the Westside

bluffs want to “remove,” presumably overnight, businesses from all

over the Westside.

In the first place, I don’t think anyone has been saying that we

should remove the businesses from the bluffs overnight. What we have

been saying is that the bluffs should be rezoned for residential uses

to take advantage of the beautiful views and ocean breezes. With such

a rezoning, our free market economy, composed of willing sellers and

willing buyers, would start to be freed from heavy handed and

improper government regulations -- this case, improper zoning and

land-use designations.

Once freed from these artificial restrictions that are keeping

this land in its lowest and worst condition, the land would naturally

seek its highest and best use on the open market. Or, to put this

more succinctly: Views and ocean breezes are worth something to

homeowners, but they’re worthless to industrial users. Let’s let

those who are willing to pay for the views and ocean breezes pay for

them.

This will improve the demographics of the area and will contribute

to an upward trend on the Westside instead of the present downward

trend. It will also help relieve the housing shortage in the area.

Such a zoning change will not force people to sell their industrial

properties or to change their uses. They will be grand-fathered in.

However, as properties change hands, we will see a gradual switch

to residential uses.

Secondly, Fawcett’s premise blurs the distinction between the

bluffs in particular, and the Westside as a whole. Never fear, no one

wants to put view homes where there isn’t a view. There will still be

industry on the Westside, but as the proper zoning kicks in, the

industrial users will gravitate to areas without views while homes

will gravitate to the land with views.

Some of us also think that an artist colony complete with

work/live artist’s lofts might be a good transition zone between

homes on the bluffs and the more inland industrial area. Artist

colonies, by their nature, tend to flourish in industrial low-rent

areas. Such a colony on the Westside, mixed in with industrial uses,

would be a perfect location to draw customers from Newport Beach and

would help revitalize the Westside, bring in sales revenue and make

the area an eclectic and fun place to spend an evening.

Other cities, Santa Ana is one, are trying to establish artist

colonies, but some are having a hard time of it for a number of

reasons that we need not go into here. Suffice it to say that Costa

Mesa has a much better chance of developing a flourishing artist

colony than many of these other cities.

Those of us who have been trying to improve Costa Mesa aren’t

anti-business, and many of us own businesses. What many of us do

want, however, is a proper balance between residential and business

uses and a nice city where we can raise our families. And, no, most

of us do not want Costa Mesa to become a new Irvine. At the same

time, we don’t want Costa Mesa to become a new Santa Ana, either.

The Westside as a permanent skid row full of functionally obsolete

apartment buildings, charities, liquor stores, improper zoning and a

downwardly mobile population is not a good option for Costa Mesa.

When the most famous “restaurant” on the main street in the area

is a free soup kitchen, you know you have a problem that needs to be

corrected.

Let’s work together to truly improve Costa Mesa, but let’s not be

deceived into thinking that planting a tree in front of a slum

building or cleaning an alley is true improvement. That’s just

routine maintenance that should be done all the time. It is insulting

to the citizens of Costa Mesa when such routine maintenance is

trumpeted as improvement. Obstructionists who are trying to keep the

Westside from improving, often because they profit off a skid row

economy, need to be told that Costa Mesa isn’t buying it anymore.

MARTIN MILLARD

Costa Mesa