Editorial:

Costa Mesa Councilman Eric Bever deserves credit for reviving efforts to improve Harbor Boulevard.

In 2009 Bever joined an ad hoc committee striving to stimulate economic activity along the boulevard, but other issues sidetracked that work.

Bever restarted the conversation last week, saying that if the economy is coming back, this is the time to look at incentives and zoning changes targeting stretches of Harbor that are struggling. He’s right. Now is the time.

Before focusing on what’s wrong with Harbor, look at what’s working: a plethora of commercial development, including big retailers like Target, Home Depot and CarMax, as well as interesting independents. Many cities would be proud of this retail, tax and employment base.

But there are problems: cheap motels, prostitution, empty storefronts, sagging shopping centers, an overabundance of used car lots.

We applaud the effort, albeit slow-moving, to persuade owners of some of the dodgier motels to convert them into apartments, but think the city can do more.

We also think Bever is on track with talking about converting some of the long, narrow used car lots into new uses.

We also call on city officials, police, social service agencies and charities to find a way to move the prostitutes from the corners and into programs that can help them address the drug use, poverty and psychological problems that likely drove them into that line of work.

When it comes to the storefronts, the city ought to examine incentives, when they make sense, but the bulk of the property is in private hands, and it is the private sector that is going to need to improve Harbor Boulevard. Property owners need to spruce up their aging centers, attract the best retailers and think about the best interest of the community when they lease space.

Costa Mesa and Newport Beach have the demographics that businesses seek, and we encourage the city to involve the business community in brainstorming about Harbor Boulevard.