COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

Here are some of the decisions coming out of the Costa Mesa City

Council meeting on Monday.

19th STREET TRANSITIONAL ZONE

WHAT HAPPENED:

The council delivered the final blow to a handful of entrepreneurs

Monday as it overwhelmingly supported the removal of an unusual zoning

designation that allowed businesses to be run from homes in a small

section of West 19th Street.

Council members gave final approval to remove what was formerly called

the “19th Street Transitional Zone” and subsequently blocked any future

businesses from opening in the area. The 10 existing businesses in the

area, which includes even numbered properties from 854 to 1014 W. 19th

St. and 1903 Federal Ave., may remain indefinitely, as long as they do

not change, officials said.

In 1965, a portion of West 19th Street was designated a transitional

area in the anticipation of a bridge being built over the Santa Ana

River. The area maintained its residential zoning but an additional

“transitional layer” was created to allow businesses to be run from the

properties.

City leaders said the zoning change was sparked by a large demand that

the area be returned to a residential neighborhood now that the city is

actively fighting any bridge on 19th Street.

A loyal and consistent opposition peppered the council with questions

about the motive. Many property owners who said the change would lower

their property values said they suspected more was behind the sudden

zoning amendment than just a desire for a family neighborhood.

WHAT IT MEANS:

That portion of the city will officially return to a purely

residential neighborhood in 30 days and existing businesses will be

considered legal but nonconforming.

VOTE: 4 to 1, with Councilman Gary Monahan voting against the removal

of the transitional zone.

WHAT WAS SAID:

Mayor Linda Dixon said it would be unfair to imply that the change in

zoning was done to hurt the existing businesses.

“I went out of my way to make sure these business members were

protected as long as their businesses stayed their businesses,” Dixon

said.

LIQUOR LICENSE/

WHAT HAPPENED:

City Council members agreed with police that no single-malt beverages

of any size should be sold at a 19th Street liquor store, and they voted

Monday to forward their formal opinion to the governing agency that

issues liquor licenses.

The owners of Sunshine Liquor, at 724 W. 19th St., came before the

council for a favorable recommendation to the Department of Alcoholic

Beverages Control to transfer the existing liquor license to new owners.

The council unanimously voted to recommend the license but would not

budge on a condition that barred the sale of any single-malt beverage.

Owners of the liquor store pleaded with the council, saying a

neighboring liquor store did not answer to such restrictions and would

have a competitive advantage.

Costa Mesa Police Lt. Les Gogerty stood his ground that his proposed

conditions of approval remain intact, citing a high number of police

calls for service from the store. Gogerty said the two-block stretch that

houses both Sunshine and ATM liquor stores had “more alcohol-related

incidents than any other area in the entire city.”

Owners argued that many calls to the police were made as the result of

a conflict regarding the refusal of sale to “habitual drunks.”

VOTE: 5-0, to recommend the Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control

approve the license with certain conditions.

WHAT WAS SAID:

Councilman Gary Monahan said he was leery of basing his decision

merely on the fact that police have responded to the store on numerous

occasions. He did not want to send the wrong message that calling the

police for help will affect a business. The councilman, who owns a bar

and is a longtime industry veteran, said he has seen the unfortunate

results of becoming a police statistic.

“Calls for service can come back and haunt you,” Monahan said.

NEXT MEETING

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. July 1

WHERE: City Hall, 77 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa

INFORMATION: (714) 754-5245