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Redevelopment expansion nixed

Lolita Harper

The redevelopment locomotive, on track to storm into the Westside,

came to an abrupt halt Monday night as city officials voted not to

add 432 acres to its downtown restoration plan.

The Costa Mesa City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency,

voted 3 to 1 to scrap its plan to add an odd-shaped portion of the

Westside to its existing downtown redevelopment area, which includes

the highly visible Triangle Square complex, saying revitalization is

better achieved through other options.

Councilman Chris Steel dissented and pushed for postponement,

hoping the additional time would inspire more sprucing up from

industrial property owners on the Westside. Councilman Allan Mansoor

could not vote on the issue because he owns property within 500 feet

of the area being considered.

The council agreed to revisit the idea of redevelopment for the

19th Street commercial corridor in January but overwhelmingly agreed

that problems on the Westside are better tackled through repaving

street, putting unsightly utilities underground, rebuilding

infrastructure and providing economic incentives to property owners

to invigorate their own territory.

“We all kind of said, ‘You know, wait a second, we don’t want to

take the next step [toward redevelopment],” Councilwoman Libby Cowan

said Tuesday.

Monday’s vote took the steam out of a redevelopment plan that had

been building momentum for years. Proponents of redevelopment argued

loudly that the only way to repair what they saw as broken and

blighted parts of town was to declare a redevelopment zone, which

would freeze property taxes at the rate of the current fiscal year

and redirect 70% of future tax increases to the agency to be

reinvested in the community.

In February, the Planning Commission adopted preliminary

boundaries for an odd-shaped redevelopment area -- roughly bordered

by 15th Street, Whittier Avenue and East 19th Street -- that may be

added to the zone. The next step would have included in-depth

assessment of blight in the area, gauging properties on physical and

economic conditions. Some of the economic criteria relates to

depreciation or stagnation in property values, but there are no

guidelines in these areas, so it would have been up to consultants to

determine.

Opponents of redevelopment argue the process was far too

subjective and ultimately lumped successful, well-maintained

businesses with blighted buildings, subjecting them all to the

possible use of eminent domain, which gives the city rights to the

land for the benefit of Costa Mesa.

Hundreds of audience members, in the overflowing City Council

Chambers on Monday night, cheered the decision. Most of those

applauding were home and business owners or employees of businesses

in the proposed area who feared redevelopment would ruin their

livelihood.

John Hawley, the owner of Railmakers that makes stainless steel

hardware for boats, applauded the decision. Hawley, who was largely

responsible to uniting Westside industrial business owners, said he

and his neighbors have made a commitment to do their part to clean up

the Westside and redevelopment is no longer needed.

Those in favor of redevelopment criticized the council for, again,

backing down from redevelopment.

While the council has often been criticized for going back and

forth on issues -- especially redevelopment -- Cowan said the drawn

out discussion and debate had a positive effect on the city.

“It got the industrial property owners motivated,” she said. “They

looked around and realized that in order to save their own property

they best make friends with the prop next door and make sure they are

working toward the same goal.”

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and

covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or

by e-mail at [email protected].

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