Condo ruling delayed

COSTA MESA — Owners of rental apartments and industrial parks who want to sell the units off separately got a temporary reprieve from tougher new standards on Tuesday, when the City Council postponed a decision on proposed new rules.

City officials have been mulling stricter requirements for building upgrades, parking, open space and other amenities for the subdivision of apartments and industrial parks, also called condo conversion.

City officials hope the new rules will cut down on problems with inadequate parking and open space, and reduce the chances of first-time home buyers getting stuck with apartments that need major infrastructure repair.

The suggested rules include a sunset clause for apartments, so no one could convert existing residential buildings into condos for sale after the end of 2011.

Council members voted to put off a decision until they can have a closed-door discussion about legal issues — they didn’t specify Tuesday what they want to talk about — and they want a public study session to rework some of the rule changes.

In the proposal, the sunset clause wouldn’t apply to part of the Westside, and Councilman Eric Bever said he thinks it should. “That will help people to go to the next level, which is to consolidate some lots and give us a better product,” he said.

Councilwoman Linda Dixon said she doesn’t want to see developments as small as two or three units turned into condos.

Residents and property owners had different concerns about the rules and cautioned the council not to approve them yet.

While one apartment owner said he doesn’t think anyone will be able to meet the tougher parking requirement, some residents worried the rush to sell off units before the opportunity expires will deplete the amount of affordable housing in the city, especially for seniors.

“Many of our seniors can scrape together enough money for rent but not for a down payment,” said Arlene Flanagan, a member of the Costa Mesa Senior Center board of directors. “Every rental apartment taken off the market squeezes America’s greatest generation.”