More areas may be up for redevelopment

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- The City Council, acting as the city’s Redevelopment

Agency, voted Monday to consider adding six areas outside of the Westside

to a proposed redevelopment study.

“I’m interested in getting information on a lot of areas of the city,

not just the Westside,” Councilwoman Karen Robinson said at the meeting.

“I would like to see other areas included.”

The agency was scheduled to decide whether to approve a study to

determine whether seven Westside areas qualify for redevelopment, as well

as to list the costs and benefits of redeveloping each area.

The agency decided to include the neighborhoods at Mission Drive and

Mendoza Drive, Filmore Way and Coolidge Avenue, Joann Street, Wilson

Street and Canyon Drive, Placentia Avenue to Estancia High School and the

north end of 19th Street.

City staff will map out the additional areas before the April 9

meeting, when the Redevelopment Agency is scheduled to decide whether to

approve the study.

Redevelopment, expected to take at least a year if it is ultimately

approved, could involve the city using the area’s property taxes to

improve the area or take land using eminent domain.

Laws governing eminent domain, the city’s right to take possession of

land, would require the city to reimburse property owners and to relocate

occupants.

To qualify to be redeveloped, areas must be considered physically and

economically blighted.

On the Westside, staff recommended that virtually all commercial,

industrial and multifamily properties are included in the study.

The properties, divided into seven areas, include West 19th Street

from Anaheim Avenue to Monrovia Avenue; Placentia Avenue from Victoria

Street to 19th; West 18th Street near Wallace Avenue and Pomona Avenue;

Pomona and Wallace from 19th to Hamilton Street; industrial areas

surrounding 17th Street and Placentia; the industrial area between

Monrovia and Whittier avenues; and the industrial area west of Whittier

Avenue.

One speaker at the meeting asked the agency to focus only on the

Westside.

“Costa Mesa is a large city,” said Corrine Zartler, a West 19th Street

resident. “If we start to look at the entire city, we will lose the focus

on what this is all about right now.”

But several Costa Mesa residents -- most of whom live on the Westside

and in other areas up for redevelopment consideration -- urged the agency

to expand the scope of the study outside the Westside.

“I’ve seen our area become very dilapidated and it has come to the

point where it is very difficult to think about walking in some of the

areas at night,” said Paula Litten, who lives on Gleneagles Terrace, in

the Canyon Avenue and Wilson Street neighborhood. “I notice on the map

that our area has not been included. We have blighted areas and . . .

would like to see them on the map. If you don’t call those areas

blighted, what do you call blighted? I don’t understand.”

NEXT MEETING:

WHAT: Regular Costa Mesa Redevelopment Agency meeting

WHERE: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

WHEN: 4 p.m. April 9