Westside revamp plan is good sign

Like many Costa Mesa residents and business owners, we’ve gotten used

to associating Westside redevelopment with words like “delayed,” “on

hold” and “hurdles.” And so it was a terrifically pleasant surprise

to watch city leaders actually “approve” and “move on” the latest

proposal for revamping this much-debated and much-discussed part of

town.

We hope this approval is a sign of things to come. Too often in

the past, plans have been made and then scrapped. The original

committee dedicated to providing a blueprint for the Westside changed

name and focus. For years and years, there were always far more

questions than answers about how to revitalize the area. Should the

city expand the area to be redeveloped? Should a bridge at 19th

Street over the Santa Ana River be part of the work? Should the focus

solely be on an area along 19th Street?

Those questions now, finally, are finding answers. Among them are:

* Increasing the number of homes allowed in the area;

* Creating a mixed-use area of residential and commercial

properties and seeking ways to encourage owner-occupation;

* Toughening zoning requirements along 19th Street to reduce or

eliminate ugly signs, landscaping and storefronts;

* Putting a moratorium on billboards on W. 19th Street;

* Encouraging businesses to establish a business improvement

district; and

* Encouraging larger developments by establishing a minimum size

for housing developments of 1.5 or 2 acres;

These are just some of the specifics in the Westside

Revitalization Oversight Committee’s report, a report whose strength

is in its lengthy, detailed answers to the questions that have been

asked over the years. It is one that promises a worthwhile outline

for how the area should be revamped.

City staff members are expected to have put all the finishing

touches on the plan by early next year. At that point, the city’s

Redevelopment Agency -- merely members of the City Council acting

under different legislative rules -- will get a chance to vote on a

final vision for the Westside.

This time, we’re anxious for that vote to happen.