Inside City Hall

WHAT HAPPENED

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission approved a request Monday to add

compact parking at Villa Sienna Apartments on Adams Avenue, but added

several conditions involving trees and lights.

The apartment complex, formerly called Adams Place Apartments and Our

Town Apartments, is undergoing renovations that include adding more

parking spaces.

Under the city’s Municipal Code, 46 compact spaces are allowed at the

complex, but there already are 54 and 102 are proposed, according to a

staff report.

The apartment complex, which originally had 429 parking spaces, now

has 458. The new plans will reduce the number of regular parking spots by

25, bringing the total number of spaces to 481.

WHAT IT MEANS

Mature eucalyptus trees line the site, and some must be removed to

make way for the additional parking.

According to the new conditions, any trees that no longer fit on the

site will be donated to the city. The property owner also will be

responsible for substituting removed trees with twice as many 24-inch box

trees planted on the north parking area.

Final carport designs and parking area lighting plans still must be

submitted to the city for approval.

WHAT WAS SAID

“I usually don’t like to encourage having more compact spaces,” said

Commissioner Tom Sutro, who made the motion to approve the proposal. “But

here on a residential site ... these spaces are not going to add any

density. The [additional spaces] are just going to help the parking

situation, which I believe will help everybody.”

VOTE: Approved, 4-1, with Commissioner Katrina Foley voting no.

WHAT HAPPENED

Commissioner Katrina Foley, who lives on Lorenzo Avenue, said she has

noticed a growing concern among her neighbors about noise at the Farm

Sports Complex, 2750 Fairview Road.

The 18 acres of soccer fields, on the former site of Costa Mesa High

School’s farm, opened in July.

WHAT WAS SAID

“I think the soccer fields are great, but I have heard from some

residents that it is very noisy,” Foley said. “You can’t keep children

from making noise, but maybe we can put up trees or a wall.”

VOTE: None