INSIDE CITY HALL Here are some...

INSIDE CITY HALL

Here are some of the decisions coming out of Monday’s Costa Mesa

Planning Commission meeting.

PARKS MASTER PLAN

The Planning Commission endorsed and recommended a proposed parks

and recreation master plan Monday without any revisions or

suggestions.

Planning commissioners praised the plan and recommended its

approval to the City Council. The recreation master plan lists a

skate park as the No. 1 recreational need in the city.

Playing fields for children and adults, tot lots, playgrounds and

tennis courts are also issues that Costa Mesa residents feel strongly

about, according to the preliminary recreation master plan released

in October.

RJM Design Group Inc., based in San Juan Capistrano, released its

breakdown of the various recreation needs in Costa Mesa compiled from

hours of residents’ input, telephone surveys, interviews and analysis

of recreation trends, demands and current facilities.

Parks and recreation commissioners had endorsed the master plan,

while adding their own comments and suggestions, and had created a

Skateboard Park Planning Team to conduct more research on a skate

park.

Planning commissioners sanctioned the plan as is.

WHAT IT MEANS

The endorsed plan will go to the City Council for final approval.

VOTE:

5-0 to approve the bulk of the plan; and 3-0 to approve the Marina

Park portion of the plan. Commissioners Eleanor Egan and Walt

Davenport had to abstain from the second vote because of conflicts of

interest.

WHAT WAS SAID:

“This plan is awesome. The consultant and the parks and recreation

division did an excellent job, in my opinion. Now, we just have to

start implementing.”

-- Katrina Foley, commission chair

1901 NEWPORT INPUT

Planning commissioners collected public input Monday about

probable plans for 1901 Newport -- the striking Spanish-style

building in the heart of downtown -- including the effects of putting

homes on the property.

Commissioners heard from the public as part of the formal process

for consideration of a mandatory environmental report. The report is

now available for public review at City Hall and Costa Mesa

libraries.

Some audience members stressed that homes proposed for the

northwest portion of the site, formerly known as Pacific Savings

Plaza, be owner-occupied condominiums, as opposed to rental units,

which they say the city has enough of.

WHAT IT MEANS

Residents’ comments will be entered into the official record

regarding the future of the landmark building.

SPLIT OF PINK HOUSE LOT

Two lots are better than one, Eastside landowner Chad Ware decided

Monday as his request to divide his unusually large lot was granted.

Ware owns the large corner lot on Orange Avenue and Camelia Lane,

where the infamous Old Pink House once stood, and asked that the

parcel be divided so he can sell each one off.

The Planning Commission unanimously granted his request, saying

they had no legal reason not to. The existing 16,625-square-foot lot

will be divided into one 10,605-square-foot lot -- where the newly

renovated Old Pink House sits -- and another 6,020-square-foot lot.

Ware, who bought the once-dilapidated house when it was close to

being declared a public nuisance, decided to abandon his yearlong

labor of love for another renovation project.

WHAT IT MEANS

There are now two residential parcels where there used to be only

one.

WHAT WAS SAID

“Personally, I think it is sad, but I don’t have any legal ground

not to let him do it.”

-- Katrina Foley

-- Story by Lolita Harper