Times have changed, Mesa Verde Center must, too

Mark Les

Enclosed is a copy of a letter I just sent to the Costa Mesa City

Council.

Dear council members:

I am writing to express my opinion on the proposed Kohl’s project

in Mesa Verde. I am very familiar with the history of this site,

having lived in Mesa Verde for 42 years. I currently reside on

Hummingbird Drive, a neighborhood affected by this project and my

office is directly across the street from this proposed project.

There appear to be two issues regarding this project:

1. the compatibility of the building with the surrounding

properties

2. the desirability of the use

I will address these two issues.

The proposed structure does not exceed the building height or the

square footage of the three structures currently on the property. The

building itself would not appear to be a problem, but the question

arose as to the desirability of the placement of the building near

residents rather than on Harbor Boulevard. The city hired a

consultant to study the compatibility of this proposed project with

the neighborhood and found that it was compatible.

All 10 neighbors backing up to this project signed a petition

favoring the building placement near them with a 60- to 87-foot

landscape buffer to shield them from the parking lot. The Planning

Commission then voted overwhelmingly to approve the project by a vote

of 4 to 1. Based on these facts, I believe there is little argument

that the structure itself is compatible with surrounding properties.

The next issue is the desirability of the Kohl’s use, with many

favoring entertainment uses at the site.

First off, to those who respect property rights, the property has

a retail commercial zoning, which makes it completely acceptable to

place a retail store on the property. For those who feel it is wise

city policy to dictate uses to the owner even when they fall within

zoning regulations, let me continue.

Residents have already voted as to their feelings about a bowling

alley, ice skating rink and theaters on this property. They have

voted with their dollars and by not patronizing them; these

businesses have either gone out of business or are on their last leg.

The property owner has tried for five years to attract entertainment

uses to the site, but no one is interested. New entertainment

projects are going into newer, much bigger centers, like Metro Point,

Irvine Spectrum or the Block.

I grew up in this area and, as a teenager, I frequented the

bowling alley, ice rink and cinemas often. I doubt if many spent more

time and had more fun there than I did. But that was yesterday.

Today, with the explosion of computers and the Internet, kids’

preferences for entertainment have changed. Computer gaming has seen

unbelievable growth. Playstation II, Game Cube and Xbox are examples

of games younger kids play for hours. Older kids have seen a growing

interest in interactive gaming over the Internet. We have two cyber

cafes in town whose businesses are booming to satisfy this demand.

Internet instant messaging is also a favorite past time of our youth,

both on computers and cell phones. Times have changed, and so has the

economics of entertainment.

Right now the decaying, empty structures at the Mesa Verde Center

represent blight on our neighborhood. They are an embarrassment for

all of us who have lived or worked near this property for the past

two years. A new modern structure would restore vitality and

community pride to our neighborhood.

Sure, each of us could dream of a use we would rather see there,

but it is only day dreaming. In two years, only one proposal has come

forward. There is a not a long list of companies willing to spend the

estimated millions of dollars to redevelop this property. Kohl’s is

one and is also a fine corporate citizen giving regularly to local

schools and charities and rewarding employees for community service.

A total of 28 Southern California communities have embraced them,

including Rancho Santa Margarita, Laguna Niguel and Irvine. They

build beautiful, convenient stores.

For those who say we do not need another department store, check

out www.kohls.com and you will see an attractive offering of clothing

and household items that we all buy regularly at attractive prices.

It will be a convenient shopping destination we will all benefit

from. We didn’t need another grocery store in the area either, but

Henry’s just opened in the Target center and it is a great store with

attractive offerings. I notice neighbors are flocking to the store

and I am sure there would have been no groundswell of support for

their use had it gone to vote.

We have a large eyesore in our neighborhood, and if you have not

seen it please check it out. Note the outdated and decaying bowling

alley and venture in to study their business. Notice how depressing

the vacant Ice Capades and cinema structures look.

We have had this eyesore for two years, and finally, a proposal

has come forward to completely modernize the property and rid us of

blight. If we say no because we have a wish list that is simply not

feasible, we will be stuck with this blight for some time to come.

* MARK LES is a resident of Costa Mesa.