West Side residents to speak up at meeting

Alex Katz

COSTA MESA -- A group of homeowners who disagree with several parts of a

plan to revitalize the West Side neighborhood said they will bring up

their complaints at a public meeting tonight.

Janice G. Davidson, co-founder of the Westside Improvement Assn., said

plans to convert a part of the area into a pedestrian-friendly shopping

center won’t solve local traffic, crime and trash problems.

Instead, the homeowners’ group has suggested the city start being more

strict in enforcing housing codes.

“There are houses falling apart and people living in garages,” Davidson

said. “There shouldn’t be any conditions like that.”

Members of the group have also complained that the city has not included

them in the planning process. The meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m.

today in the Costa Mesa Community Center at Lyons Park, will be the first

public forum on the West Side revitalization plan since the association

was formed.

Other groups, such as the Latino Advisory Group, have praised the city’s

plans, pointing out the success of revitalization projects in Los Angeles

and elsewhere that centered around the creation of pedestrian and

shopping boulevards.

FYI

* WHAT: Meeting to discuss the West Side revitalization plan

* WHERE: Community Center at Lyons Park, 570 W. 18th St., Costa Mesa

* WHEN: 6:30 p.m. today

* WHO: Residents are invited to attend and offer input on the plan.