Costa Mesa locates more encroachment on public land

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- A November city meeting to discuss private encroachments

at Fairview Park has brought out concerns about a similar situation at

Canyon Community Park.

A number of homes on Meadowview Lane reach into the park with fingers

of flowers, trees and plants.

“We’re aware that they actually have planted turf in that area, but

there are certainly no large or permanent improvements that we know of,”

said Bill Morris, the city’s public services director.

The nature of the encroachments distinguish them from those at

Fairview Park, where parts of the public park are fenced off into private

backyards, with planter boxes, walls and patio furniture.

On Swan Drive, west of Placentia Avenue, about 20 of 30 backyards

illegally extend from less than a foot to nearly 20 feet into Fairview

Park.

City staff are working to draft an ordinance addressing homes and

businesses that extend into public property after former Mayor Sandy

Genis reported a number of Fairview Park encroachments to the city.

The ordinance, if it is passed, would apply to encroachments

throughout the city, Morris said.

“As staff members, our task is to make sure all of the public can use

the parks equally,” he said. “We’re trying to ensure that there are no

exceptions, that everybody shares in the parks equally and that they are

used for the good of the public, not for the benefit of one party, entity

or group.”

Michelle Redoutey, a Costa Mesa resident in a non-encroachinghome

adjacent to the park, said she doesn’t think the city should prohibit

residents from trying to improve the park.

“In my opinion, if people want to do more than the city is able or

willing to do, I don’t think that’s a problem,” she said. “If they’re

going to maintain the park, that will make it easier on the city. It

would be silly for the city to tell them they can’t make the area nicer.”

But Genis said the city might not be able to allow the plantings --

even if they are improvements to the park -- because Canyon Community

Park is in a coastal zone.

“One reason it took so long to get the plans for the park developed in

the first place is because part of the park is in a coastal zone and had

to be approved by the [California] Coastal Commission,” she said. “I can

just imagine the [commission’s] reaction to having private use of public

land. If it is just planting, sometimes that is kind of nice if it’s not

in someone’s way and if the irrigation isn’t causing problems. But they

would probably have to get approval, and also it would have to be

something that blends well.

“But it would set an odd sort of precedent if the city decided to let

the encroachments stay. Say I go to TeWinkle park and decide I want to

put radishes there or grow some carrots. How do you tell one person they

can do something and not another person?”

City staff could present a proposed ordinance to the parks commission

as soon as March.