City to show off new plan for West Side

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- The City Council this week poured over the details of

revisions made to revitalization plans for the West Side and prepared for

public review of the project.

Since 1998, the city has targeted the West Side for an intense

revitalization effort. The aging area has for years lacked economic

vitality and has become rundown.

The original West Side plan was the subject of intense controversy

because it envisioned the area as similar to Huntington Park, a city in

urban Los Angeles County, said City Manager Allan Roeder.

“A lot of people in the community didn’t like that,” Roeder said.

“They felt it should be more of a coastal-oriented plan and less

urbanized.”

The revised plan still includes the idea of a pedestrian-friendly

neighborhood, but it replaces some existing apartments with townhomes or

small-lot developments. It also proposes cleaning up businesses instead

of relocating them.

Janice Davidson, a Costa Mesa activist who attended the council’s

study session Monday, said the revised plan is a step in the right

direction.

“We still have a long way to go,” she said. “High density has been

left in the plan and that is something many people are really against.

Some of the beautification plans have changed, though, and I think some

places [will look better].

“This plan isn’t a real change and we’re absolutely determined to have

a real change.”

Councilwoman Libby Cowan said she wants the plan to strike a balance

among all who live in the West Side community, including Latino residents

and businesses. At a meeting earlier this year, some groups expressed

entirely different opinions about the future of the West Side.

“Frankly, the last community meeting was a disaster,” Cowan said. “My

interest is in not repeating that.”

Elwood C. Tescher, spokesman for EIP Associates, consultants for the

city on the West Side plan, said the firm is planning to meet one-on-one

with different groups, rather than meeting with them all at once.

Roeder said he doesn’t think the city will get a consensus from all

parties during public review. However, city staff will try to narrow the

list of disagreements during meetings with small groups of residents.

“Despite our work, there will still be plenty to disagree about,” he

said. “We need to meet with groups to find out what we’ve done well and

where we’ve missed the mark. We can get a little reality check from the

various groups in the community and then work on working out those

differences.”

City staff is working to create a tentative schedule for the meetings,

which will be presented at Monday’s City Council meeting.