Two Developments And Car Dealership Remodel Approved

A LONG EVENING
Last night the Costa Mesa Planning Commission stretched its meeting out until after 11:00 p.m. and actually had quite a bit to show for it.  More than 60 people gathered to observe what looked to be a fairly short agenda  play out.  It wasn't short.

A STRANGE AWARD
However, in a bit of theater I've not seen before, the commissioners "honored" high-priced consultant Jerry Guarancino for his work standing in for Assistant Development Services Director Claire Flynn while she was on a medical leave.  She returned to work last week.  I don't recall any hired gun - consultants who perform as an expensive temporary employee - being so recognized in the past.  And, what made it even stranger is the fact that Jerry's not going anywhere - except up a couple floors at City Hall.  At the last council meeting the contract that brought him and another contract planning employee to us was extended for the second time and will now result in a $480,000 expense.  And, Jerry will now apparently take his expensive paycheck to the 5th floor, where he will manage the Code Enforcement effort to get a handle on the infestation of group/sober living homes in the city.

LIVE/WORK ON PLACENTIA
The commission approved a 15-unit live/work project on Placentia Avenue on a 5-0 vote.

CONDOS ON PAULARINO
They also approved a 19-unit condominium project on Paularino.

CAR DEALERSHIP RENOVATION
The biggie of the evening began at 8:20 p.m. and the final vote was cast nearly three hours later when the commission approved the expansion - basically, a complete re-build - of the Buick-GMC-Cadillac dealership on Harbor Boulevard at Merrimac.  This was contentious and ten residents spoke with serious concerns about the project, which had been heard earlier this summer.  Since then, the consultant for the applicant, former Costa Mesa senior staffer Peter Naghavi, had been attempting a community outreach effort to assuage their apprehensions and to seek ways to mitigate their concerns.  Based on the tone of the comments by residents, he was only marginally successful.   And, unfortunately, he was unsuccessful in hiding his frustration late in the discussions.

THE BIG GUN...
The applicant trotted out a Vice President, Ron Maceachern, from headquarters in Michigan - a career automobile dealer operator - who tried to sell the neighbors in the audience of his sincerity about their plans to be a good neighbor to them and an asset to the community.  He was persuasive and I found myself wondering if I'd buy a car from the man.

MAJOR MODIFICATIONS TO THE PLAN
The applicant had re-vamped their original plans to satisfy many of the concerns expressed by residents at earlier meetings but there was obviously much bad blood as a result of pretty shabby treatment some had received during the demolition process.

WEARINESS SHOWED NEAR THE END
Near the end of the deliberations there was plenty of frustration to go around.  Chairman Jim Fitzpatrick, getting weary of the whole discussion, became edgy as his Vice Chair, Rob Dickson, attempted to summarize what he had heard that evening to help himself and the other commissioners gather their thoughts before voting on the issue.  Fitzpatrick prodded him a couple times, unnecessarily in my view, but Dickson continued and produced a valuable summation.

SESLER SPOKE, I THINK...
Commissioner Tim Sesler, who sometimes seems to speak in tongues up on the dais, attempted to congratulate the participants but botched that up.  Sometimes he doesn't speak into the microphone, so it's virtually impossible to understand what he's saying.  It usually doesn't make any difference.

APPROVED, 5-0
In any event, eventually the commission approved the project on a 5-0 vote after tinkering with some of the terms and conditions.  None of the thirty or so residents who attended for that item seemed satisfied in the least.

ONE DOWN, THREE TO GO...
So, one meeting down this week - at least three more to go.  More on those later today.