Park idea takes baby steps

Next month, visitors to Fairview Park will see two signs teasing a long-discussed 1,000-acre park linking Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, but they shouldn’t get too excited.

Officials have had a lot of discussions, and next week some work could begin on actually designing it, but there’s one big thing missing — money.

“The biggest thing is fundraising,” Newport Beach City Councilman Steve Rosansky said. “That’s the next step. Nothing is going to happen without money.”

The signs will read “Fairview Park, participant in the future Orange Coast River Park,” said Bill Morris, the Costa Mesa public services director.

The signs in the parking lot and on a walking trail are meant to make people aware of the park that would link — via the Santa Ana River — Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and unincorporated areas of Orange County.

The river park would include open space and nature preserves.

The park has been in the talking stage among environmentalists and supporters for about five years, Rosansky said.

The project’s progress has been slow because of scant funding and the need to create a formal group to make the river park vision happen.

“At this point, there is a loose group of people and cities, about 20 to 25 groups, trying to move in that direction,” Rosansky said.

At next Tuesday’s Newport Beach City Council meeting, Rosansky expects to be appointed chair of the city’s Santa Ana River advisory committee. The council will also be asked to use a $5,000 grant from the Wildlands Conservancy to begin work on a vision document for the park.

The park would be one of the largest in the county. But the project is a long way off from completion as officials still need to acquire land for it.

Costa Mesa parks and recreation commissioner Byron de Arakal said the project will be a long, involved process.

“It’s really a concept moving through a very lengthy process in terms of funding, the disposition of the land that is going to be within the river park and all the entitlements and environment processes,” de Arakal said.

But de Arakal believes all the work will be worth it.

“Open space is very valuable because it provides people with a buffer between themselves and the concrete jungle they live in,” de Arakal said.

The commissioner envisions the park featuring biking and walking trails, as well as other activities.