Bever suggests mall approach

Alicia Robinson

Costa Mesa City Councilman Eric Bever says he wants to look into

using eminent domain to bring in new ownership for the floundering

Triangle Square shopping center, but the plan isn’t likely to fly

with his colleagues.

The beleaguered center has had trouble attracting tenants since

opening in 1992, and just this year it shed major retailers Niketown

and Virgin Megastore.

At the Tuesday City Council meeting, Bever said the council should

consider condemning the mall as underperforming, and he ripped the

Orange County Register for depicting Triangle Square as “the poster

child for failed redevelopment projects.”

The mall is part of a larger redevelopment area established in

1973, said Costa Mesa assistant development services director Mike

Robinson. Traffic circulation problems and underperforming properties

led the City Council to create the redevelopment zone, which also

includes the more successful Costa Mesa Courtyards business and

shopping plaza.

But the council, acting as the redevelopment agency, would have to

jump significant hurdles to do what Bever suggests. The city’s right

to use eminent domain in the redevelopment area expired in 1998, so

the council would have to amend the redevelopment plan, Robinson

said. Officials would have to determine the property is blighted

based on its economic and physical conditions, and four of five

council members would have to vote in favor of using eminent domain.

“We don’t know whether it’s even possible at this point because we

haven’t done any of that research,” City Manager Allan Roeder said.

At least two council members won’t be on board with the plan.

Immediately after Bever made the suggestion Tuesday, Mayor Allan

Mansoor said in no uncertain terms he wouldn’t support condemning

Triangle Square, and on Wednesday Councilwoman Katrina Foley agreed.

It would be expensive for the city to try to acquire the property,

and it would be setting an undesirable precedent, Foley said.

“We should work with the development and business community to

provide the tools that the marketplace needs to be able to revitalize

or improve an area, but eminent domain should be reserved for the

last resort,” she said.

Roeder said the city’s redevelopment agency doesn’t have the money

to acquire the property, and he’s never been approached by anyone

interested in putting up the capital.

The agency will likely hear a report on options for Triangle

Square at its next meeting, Roeder said, but no action is planned.

With flaccid political backing and questions about whether it’s

legally possible, the idea of condemning Triangle Square so far looks

like a dud. In fact, Foley asked Bever at the council meeting if he

was making a serious suggestion.

“I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not,” she said

Wednesday.

Not sarcastic, but apparently not entirely serious, either.

“Basically I’m trying to get the ownership’s attention,” Bever

said Wednesday. “You could call it saber rattling if you want to.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626.