Police cleared to expand department

Lolita Harper

Police officers will have more room to work, investigate, store

evidence and fight crime thanks to an overwhelming approval of an

expanded headquarters Monday by the City Council.

Without any discussion, council members voted 4 to 0 to approve

plans for an 11,000-square-foot Police Department expansion that

calls for a change to the city’s master plan. Councilwoman Libby

Cowan was late to the meeting and missed the vote.

The sizable project proposes renovation of 75% of the existing

police facility, including a seismic upgrade, construction of an

additional single-story building, a new parking lot and changes in

landscaping.

The expansion project will make room for additional office space,

storage and a new emergency operations center. Officials have placed

a high priority on the project, given that the current facility,

built in the mid 1960s, has been overcrowded for years.

The development falls 90 parking spaces short of the city’s

general requirements and increases the building density on the

9.4-acre Civic Center site by about 9%, according to a staff report.

The existing Civic Center already exceeds the maximum floor area

standards by 28%, and the additional 11,000 square feet would stay

consistent with that nonconformity, the report states.

Planners also justified the parking by pointing out that most of

the employees at the new building already work for the city and park

in the existing lot. While the plan falls short of the required

number of spaces for a building of its size, it would increase by 28

the number of parking spaces. Further parking needs could be met by

restriping the older lot, officials said.

Audience members were not convinced the plan would satisfy future

needs.

Resident and City Council regular Beth Refakes said the council

should demand a project that plans further than 10 years out. Land

and construction costs will be much higher in a decade if the city

once again realizes it has outgrown its digs, she said.

Her sentiment was echoed by resident Joel Faris, who urged the

city to revamp talks with Vanguard University about the sale and

possible relocation of City Hall.

“City Hall isn’t for sale right now,” Mayor Linda Dixon told

Faris.

“I know it’s a far-out thing, but it could be win-win for both

sides,” Faris said. “Costa Mesa is very famous for not looking down

the road.”

Planning Commission Chairwoman Katrina Foley shared Refakes and

Faris’ sentiment when she unenthusiastically supported approval at

the Planning Commission level. The endorsing vote was unanimous, but

Foley said the proposed designs barely meet the existing parking and

space needs at the overcrowded police facility, and less sufficiently

provide room for growth at the Civic Center as a whole.

Foley said she only supported the proposed designs because she

realized it was the best project for the resources allocated.