Cities try to balance growth, parkland

Between high land costs, fully built communities and finite city budgets, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa are feeling the pinch when it comes to park space and athletic facilities.

Both cities fall a little short of their goals for park acres per 1,000 residents, and both are trying to evaluate their future needs.

In Costa Mesa, the problem is a shortage of lighted sports fields, but the city also expects a future influx of residents from five planned high-rise developments and possible housing developments on the Westside.

“I think we all know that there’s a need for more playing fields for our youth sports and particularly lighted fields,” Costa Mesa Parks Commissioner Mark Harris said. “You can only do so much when you have a built-out city.”

The Costa Mesa City Council today will meet with the parks commission to talk about updating the master plan for parks and recreation facilities, a review former Parks Commissioner Byron De Arakal said he asked for last year.

The master plan was last updated in 2003, and De Arakal said it didn’t take the high-rises and Westside changes into account.

Sports fields have been a concern for several years now, especially since soccer is hugely popular in Newport-Mesa. Costa Mesa has had setbacks — some homeowners objected to having lights installed near their homes, and it’s taken months longer than expected to forge an agreement to create new fields at the Fairview Developmental Center.

One way the city may try to address the athletic field need is with a new master plan for several Newport-Mesa Unified School District facilities the city shares.

“There’s just not anymore land out there, so we’re going to need to look at ways to optimize the land that’s set aside for fields between the school district and the city,” Costa Mesa Recreation Manager Jana Ransom said.

In Newport Beach, the problem isn’t as much where to put new facilities. A new active park with sports fields will be opening in Newport Coast in September, and the city in October purchased state land that will become Sunset Ridge Park.

Youth groups say they want more places to play, Newport Beach recreation and senior services Director Wes Morgan said, but otherwise, “We’re in a pretty good position, and the community knows it.”

But there’s a limited amount of money to develop recreation facilities, and some Newport Beach officials want to re-evaluate their priorities.

City Council members are battling over how best to use Newport Center Park, a parcel next to the central library that was designed as a passive park. Councilman Don Webb suggested putting a soccer field on it, and over the long-term he thinks if Banning Ranch is developed it should include a sports park, he said.

He was frustrated by the council’s decision to proceed with the library park while other projects, like ball fields for Sunset Ridge Park, have to wait.

“I think we should spend our resources on active parks rather than passive parks,” he said.