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Trek carefully while establishing new boundaries

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While plans to add about 434 acres to Costa Mesa’s redevelopment

zone on the Westside are still preliminary, we’re not entirely sure

it’s the way to go to clean up the aging area.

Everyone can agree that some of the Westside needs sprucing up,

but not every property within the proposed redevelopment zone does.

And under the city’s plan, those property owners within the

boundaries who have kept up their businesses stand to suffer the

most, which is why they oppose the project.

We certainly can’t blame them because once a property becomes part

of a redevelopment zone, it can become tarnished, making it more

difficult for its owner to sell it if need be.

Not only that, but the city would take on the power of eminent

domain that could be used if need be. City leaders haven’t gotten to

the point where they would decide how to use that power, but no one

should blame property owners for fearing its potential use. After

all, many of them have committed to the area for decades and have no

desire to leave. And shouldn’t have to.

Though the city has yet to adopt a vision for the redevelopment

zone, we can only imagine that officials would love for it to appear

like an extension of Newport Beach, complete with beautiful homes

overlooking the ocean. But it doesn’t sound very realistic that the

city would be able to buy up all of the land within the zone. The 434

acres would go for about $1 million an acre, so $434 million seems an

awfully far-fetched dream at this point.

Since the city will go ahead with these plans nonetheless, Costa

Mesa officials need to do as much as they possibly can to explain to

the community and property owners exactly why this plan deserves

support. After all, the last redevelopment plan adopted in 1973 left

us with Triangle Square and it’s not exactly the epitome of success.

Perhaps it should still be the focus of redevelopment.

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