FDC AGAIN - "ONCE MORE UNTO THE BREACH "

THE SHAKESPEARE QUOTE SEEMS APPROPRIATE - When considering the most recent Fairview Developmental Center Workshop, held on Thursday, July 23, 2026 at the Norma Hertzog Center, William Shakespeare's quote, "Once more onto the breach, dear friends, once more", seems perfectly appropriate. For those of us who have been following this drama since 2015 and have attended every meeting during which the future of this 100+ acres of prime Costa Mesa property is being considered, it certainly seems like one of those "We've been here before" issues.

THE ENTRANCE - When we arrived each of us signed in so we can receive future communications.  Then we wandered around the back wall of the room where display cards were available to help us get some context.  I've provided images of those cards here for your review.

BIG TURNOUT - This latest meeting, which started promptly at 6:10 p.m., stretched well beyond the anticipated stop time.  All speakers had spoken (I was last) and all questions/comments were responded to in real time by the time it wrapped up at 8:45.  I did not do a head count, but it certainly looked like there were at least 150 interested parties attending this one.

OFFICIALS IN ATTENDANCE - City Council members Andrea Marr, Arlis Reynolds, Mike Buley and Jeff Pettis were in the crowd, as was Planning Commissioner Jon Zich.  None of them spoke, but all seemed to pay close attention to the concerns of attendees.

GREAT STAFF MANAGEMENT - City Manager Cecelia Gallardo-Daly kicked things off and handed the baton to Carrie Tai, Director of Community Development, to run the show.  They were supported by Broc Coward, Community Relations Manager, Anna McGill, Planning Manager and Paul Martin, Transportation Services Manager.  Other staffers were there for support, too.

THE FORMAT - The staff presented a thorough background to the evolution of the availability of the Fairview Developmental Center property which began in 2015 and has gone through much back-and-forth negotiations with the State of California.  At first The State said, "Here's 110 acres of prime real estate for your use to help meet your housing needs." - (that the state had imposed upon the city in the form of Regional Housing Needs Allocation of 11,760 dwelling units).  Then The State said, "Uh, we were only kidding... we need 15 acres for an Emergency Operations Center", and then selected the absolutely best site for residential development and the least satisfactory venue from an access standpoint for that EOC.  Then, they said, "Oh, yes, we need another 15 acres for State-operated special housing.  Now that 110 acres is down to 80!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - Following the staff presentation, during which the assembled masses became a little anxious, Director Tai began fielding questions as folks lined up at microphones on either side of the room.  Manager Broc Coward kept a tight leash on the speakers, imposing a "yellow card" warning that the speaker had 15 seconds left and a "red card" which told them to stop speaking.  Director Tai attempted to answer every single question, sometimes with the help of other staffers, immediately after they were asked.

THE CONCERNS - I'm not going to attempt to give you every question and answer.  The Costa Mesa Brief team was on hand and recorded the entire event - 2 hours and 27 minutes - and I will link to that video at the end of this entry so you can view it at your pleasure.  (Hint: The final speaker was especially dynamic).  Although the staff attempted to answer every question to the speaker's satisfaction, I don't think they completely accomplished that goal.  Sadly, in some cases there are just no satisfactory answers.  Many people were concerned about the increase in traffic so many new dwellings (maybe 4,000) would generate.  Director Tai and team estimated something in excess of 20,000 more trips per day! Several speakers from nearby neighborhoods were especially concerned.  Many were concerned about what this is going to do to property values in the City.  There seemed to be the implication by more than a few speakers that "affordable housing" means an increase in the number of "undesirable residents" - you know, the kind of folks the ICE thugs snatch up off our streets. Impact on schools was a major concern.  Also, our ability to properly provide public safety - police and fire - for this site was addressed by many.  Access to and from this site is a major concern, expressed by several speakers.  Currently there is ONE route into the property - the defacto extension of Fair Drive across Harbor Blvd.  The solution is to carve another access road across the golf course that wraps around this site on 3 sides.  The many golfers in the audience were not happy.  And, this particular issue is exacerbated by the EOC presence.  A couple years ago I wrote to the State suggesting an alternate location - one had been identified as available in Tustin - 24 acres near the lighter-than-air site, in a commercial area with easy access to 3 freeways.  That was rejected out of hand.  The original 15 acre demand for the EOC was necessary for the proposed helipad and related maintenance facilities.  That has now been abandoned so the administrative offices/warehouse could certainly be accommodated in a MUCH SMALLER space - 5 acres or less.  Sometimes it seems bureaucracy has no common sense. 

WE OBSERVED THE GRADING - My wife and I took a drive through the Fairview Developmental Center site on Thursday afternoon, just to see what's happening.  What's happening is the site of the EOC is being graded - it actually looked like a much larger chunk of land than the 15 acres - and roadways are being refurbished.  Most of the FDC buildings remain.  There apparently is no stopping The State once it get's a head of steam up.

THE SPEAKERS - There were 46 groups of questions - 41 were delivered in person by speakers at the microphones and 5 were read from comment cards by Manager Coward as they were picked up be staffers and delivered to him.  I grabbed images of about half the speakers.  The light was a problem for the other side.  In no particular order, we saw former council members Jay Humphrey and Wendy Leece step up with questions and comments.  Pastor Christine Brooks Nolf and her hubby, Michael Moses Nolf spoke to concerns about their particular flock - low income folks in need of affordable housing.  Moses slipped a zinger into his comment when he asked how many Flock camera would be placed in the FDC site.  Former Planning Commissioner Diane Russell spoke on the affordable housing issue, as did affordable housing advocate Kathy Esfahani (no photo). The husband and wife team of Rick Huffman and Cynthia McDonald (operators of the Costa Mesa First site and frequent speakers before the City Council and various commissions) addressed the appearance of "red lining" and more.  Council candidate Steve Smith and Assembly candidate Urson Russell stepped up, too.  

THE OTHERS - I saw many old friends in the crowd - folks who actually pay attention to municipal issues and attend these kind of meetings.  It was great to be "out among them" since I've been sidelined with a bum leg for nearly 2 months.  Most of these folks influence the opinions of others because it is clear they do their homework and have credible, informed opinions to share.

WHO OWNS THE GOLF COURSE? - Near the end of the meeting retired City employee Mike Moran stepped up to the microphone as the next-to-last speaker and opined that the City doesn't own the golf course, the State does, and has just leased it to The City, so the State could take it any time it wanted.  The response he got from the Staff was that Moran was incorrect - that the city owned the land.  So, since the reply seemed kind of tentative, I called Director Tai on Friday afternoon and asked for a clarification.  She told me - and sent me a copy of the deed papers - that the City does, indeed, own the land and has done so since 12/30/79.  There IS a condition in the deed, however, that requires the City to use the land for open space and it would be a breach of the sale if The City decided to, for example, build a shopping center on that 200+ acres.

MY TAKEAWAYS - First, I think most of the attendees were glad they had another opportunity to hear the facts of this project.  However, even though their questions were answered, I had the impression that many attendees left with only limited confidence in the process.  Much of that has to do with the length of time - A DECADE - that it's taken to get this far, and there seemed to be a general distrust in The State.  Some of that certainly has to do with the recent lawsuit filed against Costa Mesa and four other cities for not being responsive enough with their required Housing Element submissions.  I am told by reliable sources that The State is, in large part, responsible for the delay because they have not given The City a required timely reply to information The City submitted.  And, of course, there is the old "The State giveth and The State taketh away" situation with the size of the parcel.  More communication with the community is important on this "once in a lifetime" opportunity.  

MORE CHANCES TO BE HEARD - On Monday, 7/27/26, in their meeting beginning in City Council Chambers, the Costa Mesa Planning Commission will hold a "Study Session" on this issue as part of their broader agenda.  Interested parties are encouraged to attend and speak if so moved.  Then, at their meeting on August 10th, the Planning Commission will discuss this issue and make a recommendation to the City Council.  The public is welcome to speak here, too.  And then, at its meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the City Council will hear the recommendation of the Planning Commission and provide YET ANOTHER chance for the public to be heard.

TAKE YOUR TIME - There's a lot of stuff here. Please take your time to review the numerous exhibits I've included and, if you have a couple hours to spare, watch the Costa Mesa Brief video of this meeting, linked below.

COSTA MESA BRIEF VIDEO