Retail, housing meld in building plans

COSTA MESA ? It’s been more of a trickle than a flood, but the city is getting the first wave of plans for redevelopment projects on the Westside and the Bristol Street area called Sobeca.

The City Council in April approved plans that encourage housing development, including mixed-use, on more than 600 acres of the largely industrial Westside as well as the Sobeca area.

In the last month, preliminary plans for three projects in Sobeca and three on the Westside have been filed with the city. The council will hold its first discussion on the plans in July, though they won’t be up for approval until later.

“All of these developers who have been waiting in the wings now have come in,” said Claire Flynn, a senior planner for the city. “Since the plans were adopted, there’s been a lot of inquiries from developers and property owners.”

Plans submitted so far include the following: