Plan would erect condo tower near arts center
Andrew Edwards
North Costa Mesa, already home to some of Orange County’s tallest
office towers, eventually could add a high-rise condo to its mix.
Last week, the City Council postponed consideration of a request
that would have cleared the way for a Los Angeles development company
to submit plans for a condominium tower at the South Coast Metro
Center.
The City Council is slated consider the proposal April 19.
A diagram shows the hotel would have been built on Avenue of the
Arts between Anton Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway. The Planning
Department’s report on the proposal stated the condo plans were still
in the conceptual stages, and an exact location for the proposed
tower has not been set. The maximum building height in that area is
180 feet, or about 12 stories.
If the council votes to allow the project to proceed, final
approval of a residential tower would be a long way off. The
development firm, McCarthy Cook & Co., would still have to complete
traffic and environmental studies and provide a full plan to city
officials, senior planner Claire Flynn said.
“The process now is at the very first step,” she said.
Representatives from McCarthy Cook & Co., could not be reached
Monday or Tuesday to comment on specifics of their plan.
In a letter to Mike Robinson, Costa Mesa’s assistant director of
development services, company co-President Edward Cook wrote McCarthy
Cook & Co. had initially planned to build a 200,000-square-foot hotel
at that location before deciding to seek the council’s permission to
build a residential tower.
A city document stated McCarthy Cook & Co. officials decided there
was not enough demand for a new hotel.
In December, the City Council approved a similar measure for a
proposed condominium development with a maximum height of 315 feet on
Anton Boulevard.
That property is owned by Los Angeles-based Maguire Properties.
Company spokeswoman Peggy Moretti said Maguire officials have not
determined an exact development plan.
“At this point it would be too premature for us to speculate on
what it would be,” she said.
Residential high rises could be a boon to business in the South
Coast Metro area if incoming residents patronize the area’s shops and
restaurants, said Ed Fawcett, president of the Costa Mesa Chamber of
Commerce.
“That’s exciting to see stuff like that over there,” he said.
Mayor Allan Mansoor said his biggest concern with any proposed
residential high-rises would be tower’s impact on traffic, and he
noted the county could see more proposals for similar buildings.
“It seems to be a developing trend of interest,” he said.
* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be
reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at andrew.edwards@latimes.com.
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