Reason prevailed on Habitat decision

FLO MARTIN

On March 10, 1999, Scott Bell, general partner for ICI Holdings,

signed a settlement and mutual-release agreement. So did 24 residents

of College Park, also known as Neighbors of Harbor Center. Bell

agreed to build several sound walls and a landscaped berm to

attenuate the effects of noise pollution from the rear of the Harbor

Shopping Center loading docks.

The agreement also stipulated that ICI would “not demolish or

cause to be demolished that portion of the sound wall blocking access

to Wake Forest Drive ... except after final city approval of

residential land use in the Future Development Area.” The agreement

continued: “Neighbors reserve all rights to challenge any requests

for residential or other proposed uses of the future development

area.” How do I know all this, you ask? Well, I was one of those 24

College Park residents who signed on the dotted line.

Two years later, ICI had a brilliant idea to donate this future

development area -- 1.5 acres of what I prefer to call a no man’s

land sandwiched between the rear of Harbor Shopping Center and the

backyards of College Park homes. Let’s donate it to Habitat For

Humanity. That way, we can get that residential zoning. That way, we

can get some of the berm down. That way, we can get part of the wall

down. That way, ICI can get a tax write-off in the millions. That

way, ICI can get the biggest bang out of its bucks.

The first proposal, for 11 homes on that 1.5-acre plot, gets shot

down. Then Habitat comes back with another plan -- eight homes.

Habitat and neighbors meet, and they continue to hash things out. The

neighbors submit written concerns, and Habitat responds. Habitat’s

response deals with parking, differences in zoning, traffic,

background on Habitat as an organization, air quality impacts, noise

from the Harbor Shopping Center (Home Depot loading docks), noise

from helicopters and landscaping. Big problem. Habitat stonewalls the

issue that several neighbors write about -- density. Why eight homes?

Why not six or five or four?

Well, it seems that the Costa Mesa City Council and the Costa Mesa

Planning Commission had the same question about this sticky wicket.

In December of 2002, Councilman Mansoor had asked: “Would you be

willing to go with less [sic] than eight? “Mark Korando, vice

president of site development for Habitat, said: “I believe that is a

[violation] of some rights.”

During the Planning Commission meeting of this past Sept. 27,

Korando had to respond again. He stated that reduction of one unit

... would create significant financial implications that might render

the master plan unfeasible. The project would die if it did not get

the eight units approved. ICI was not playing ball. No way would it

provide access to this land from the Harbor Boulevard side. No way

was there access from the Wilson Street side. ICI insisted on eight

homes, and to top it all off, they wanted part of the berm and part

of the sound wall to come tumbling down.

ICI didn’t read the writing on that wall -- the City Council

wasn’t buying it. Who, in their right minds, would want to live

jammed into such a small piece of land, breathing down the necks of

their neighbors, surrounded on three sides by huge walls and

literally a stone’s throw from Home Depot’s regional center loading

docks? Let’s keep that 1.5 acres zoned as commercial, as it has been

since day one. So, ICI sent Korando back to the table.

At the council meeting on Oct. 18, he asked for a continuance to

early February -- after the elections. Let’s talk some more, he said.

Let’s iron out our differences. Let’s negotiate.

I sat in the third row of the council chambers thinking: “Didn’t

we already do that? Didn’t we have all those meetings to hash out the

problems? Didn’t ICI basically say no to the big changes? What’s

there to talk about?”

Thank goodness, the letters on the wall spelled out a resounding

no. No to the continuance, no to the rezoning and no to building

homes behind the Home Depot.

Korando was quoted in the Daily Pilot (“Council to consider

effects of Humanity,” Oct. 18 ) as saying “the Planning Commission

... has a viewpoint and the City Council may have a different

viewpoint. We’re hoping that reason prevails.”

Yes, reason did prevail. As the French like to say, “Chapeau!”

Hats off to City Hall.

* FLO MARTIN is a Costa Mesa resident and faculty member at Cal

State Fullerton.