A wise zoning decision

Don Elmore

As a member of the Westside Revitalization Oversight Committee, and

previously the Citizen Redevelopment Action Committee, I felt that

all through the deliberation process we were being guided by the

industrialists in the committee to reach a consensus.

They were well-organized and had the expertise of their office

staff in preparation of their presentations and letters. I fully

believe there was a majority of industrialists versus other groups of

representatives on the committee.

The industrialists certainly had many resources available to them

that the lowly property owners and homeowners did not have.

As a result, instead of a recommendation to rezone, the committee

reached a consensus to have an overlay zone. The overlay zone that

was recommended had already been in existence for 10 years. So

nothing was changed.

The committee report made a recommendation to the City Council as

to what the committee members deemed necessary to get the Westside

started toward improvement. It has been said the City Council went

beyond what the committee report recommended as far as the overlay

zone is concerned.

Well a recommendation is exactly that, a recommendation, and the

City Council is not bound by recommendations. They are certainly free

to expand on any recommendations. This includes the expansion of the

overlay zone.

Since the City Council decided to accept the Citizen Redevelopment

Action Committee report recommending a rezone, I feel it was a huge

blow to the Westside and the entire city of Costa Mesa when they then

threw it back to Westside Revitalization Oversight Committee for

inclusion in that report. The members of Citizen Redevelopment Action

Committee had already decided that a rezone was needed for the

bluffs.

In the revitalization committee deliberations, rezoning was always

shot down by the industrialists. Therefore, the members of the

committee felt that at least an overlay was a decent substitute for

rezoning.

The City Council, especially Councilman Eric Bever, is to be

commended for its foresight to begin improvement to not only the

Westside, but all of Costa Mesa, by voting to expand the overlay

zone.

I personally feel the expanded overlay is the best for the entire

city of Costa Mesa.

My vision for Costa Mesa is $1-million to $2-million-plus homes on

the bluffs with ocean views and less industrial businesses, a clean

and vibrant commercial corridor along 19th Street with live-work

spaces and a name brand grocery store at 19th Street and Placentia

Avenue.

* DON ELMORE is a Costa Mesa resident.