COSTA MESA PLANNING COMMISSION PREVIEW

-- Compiled by Lolita Harper

2000 GENERAL PLAN UPDATE

The Planning Commission will review the 2000 General Plan and decide

whether to recommend it to the City Council for final approval.

The latest general plan is an update from the 1990 General Plan and

includes proposed changes to highways, bikeways and the Home Ranch site.

Planning department staff is recommending the Planning Commission adopt

the proposed changes to the former lima bean field zoning to reflect

their recent recommendation of the Home Ranch project.

C.J. Segerstrom & Sons asked for an amendment to the general plan to

rezone their land north of the San Diego Freeway to allow for a

308,000-square-foot Ikea property, 791,050 square feet of office space,

252,648 square feet of industrial use and 192 homes.

Last month, the Planning Commission recommended the project for

approval to the City Council. Although the council has yet to make a

decision on the proposed development. Planning staff is proposing the

required changes to the general plan to incorporate the changes the

Segerstroms are requesting.

The development’s final environmental report will also be up for

recommendation.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The planning staff has recommended the commission approve the 2000

General Plan -- including the changes for the Home Ranch development --

to reflect the commission’s early endorsement of the project.

FEDERAL AVENUE CHANGES

The proposed 2000 General Plan also seeks the commission’s approval to

change the land use on Federal Avenue from commercial to low-density

residential.

The lots at 1904 and 1900 Federal Ave. alone are too small to meet the

minimum lot size requirement for commercial development, a staff report

said. In order to meet that requirement, the parcels would have to be

combined to meet the 12,000-square-foot minimum, the report said.

However, combining the 7,650- and 7,260-square-foot lots would create

a commercial development that is too large for the surrounding

residential area, the report said.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Planning staff recommends the best use would be a change to

residential.

FYI

What: Planning Commission meeting

When: 6:30 p.m., today

Where: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

Information: (714) 754-5245