Redevelopment expansion nixed
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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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