Plan would erect condo tower near arts center

Andrew Edwards

North Costa Mesa, already home to some of Orange County’s tallest

office towers, eventually could add a high-rise condo to its mix.

Last week, the City Council postponed consideration of a request

that would have cleared the way for a Los Angeles development company

to submit plans for a condominium tower at the South Coast Metro

Center.

The City Council is slated consider the proposal April 19.

A diagram shows the hotel would have been built on Avenue of the

Arts between Anton Boulevard and the San Diego Freeway. The Planning

Department’s report on the proposal stated the condo plans were still

in the conceptual stages, and an exact location for the proposed

tower has not been set. The maximum building height in that area is

180 feet, or about 12 stories.

If the council votes to allow the project to proceed, final

approval of a residential tower would be a long way off. The

development firm, McCarthy Cook & Co., would still have to complete

traffic and environmental studies and provide a full plan to city

officials, senior planner Claire Flynn said.

“The process now is at the very first step,” she said.

Representatives from McCarthy Cook & Co., could not be reached

Monday or Tuesday to comment on specifics of their plan.

In a letter to Mike Robinson, Costa Mesa’s assistant director of

development services, company co-President Edward Cook wrote McCarthy

Cook & Co. had initially planned to build a 200,000-square-foot hotel

at that location before deciding to seek the council’s permission to

build a residential tower.

A city document stated McCarthy Cook & Co. officials decided there

was not enough demand for a new hotel.

In December, the City Council approved a similar measure for a

proposed condominium development with a maximum height of 315 feet on

Anton Boulevard.

That property is owned by Los Angeles-based Maguire Properties.

Company spokeswoman Peggy Moretti said Maguire officials have not

determined an exact development plan.

“At this point it would be too premature for us to speculate on

what it would be,” she said.

Residential high rises could be a boon to business in the South

Coast Metro area if incoming residents patronize the area’s shops and

restaurants, said Ed Fawcett, president of the Costa Mesa Chamber of

Commerce.

“That’s exciting to see stuff like that over there,” he said.

Mayor Allan Mansoor said his biggest concern with any proposed

residential high-rises would be tower’s impact on traffic, and he

noted the county could see more proposals for similar buildings.

“It seems to be a developing trend of interest,” he said.

* ANDREW EDWARDS covers business and the environment. He can be

reached at (714) 966-4624 or by e-mail at [email protected].