City on right road on Westside

Allan Mansoor

A flier was recently distributed on the Westside of the city which

stated that a small but vocal group of people wanted to bulldoze

buildings and residences through the use of eminent domain. Since I

live on the Westside of the city, I was naturally concerned with the

accuracy of the statements and who is advocating the bulldozing and

eminent domain.

Perhaps what they were referring to was the consideration of the

Redevelopment Agency, which is the City Council acting in a distinct

official capacity, to expand the redevelopment area. This issue

before the agency is simply whether to approve the expanded area and

then study it with more scrutiny -- and then determine what areas are

to be cut from it. There is no consideration of eminent domain for

any specific property before the agency right now, and the agency can

determine they do not want to use it at all if it wants.

I simply want to keep the issues before us factual and in context.

At this point, I am willing to look at all options. Another option

pending before the council is an overlay zone of the area east of

Whittier Avenue.

An overlay zone already exists west of Whittier Avenue, but many

property owners do not know about it. The overlay zone simply lets

the property owners build residential in commercial areas. In many

areas on the edge of commercial areas, this could be very viable and

desirable on the Westside. This has nothing to do with redevelopment

or eminent domain and could provide a natural spark to improve the

Westside of the city.

This also will not force any commercial property owners to do

anything. It does not even change their zoning to residential. It

simply provides a second zoning option.

As evidence of the demand for nice housing and the viability of

the Westside to provide it, take a look at the four new homes for

sale on the east side of Placentia Avenue north of Victoria Avenue.

These are nice new homes surrounded by old apartments. Clearly, the

market demand is there to bring the Westside up. So, if some want to

shut down the option of redevelopment, then they must be open to

other options such as an overlay zone to make improvement of the

Westside easier. We cannot keep closing all of the doors to an

improved Westside.

What the city can clearly do right now is to continue to fund

infrastructure improvements. This has already been started, with

putting utilities underground at 19th Street and Placentia Avenue and

the planned landscaped medians on 19th Street. Continued “fast

tracking” of street and sidewalk repair, as well as drainage issues,

will also help. Following through with the recent attempt to limit

use of the Job Center to Costa Mesa residents would also be a step in

the right direction. Code enforcement has also been effective lately

in getting some property owners to do basic clean up.

Ultimately, the city must pave the road to an improved Westside,

and I believe we are now going in that direction.

ALLAN MANSOOR

Costa Mesa

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Mansoor is a Costa Mesa city councilman.