Trek carefully while establishing new boundaries
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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