A Big Agenda For The Planning Commission

AN INTERESTING EVENING AHEAD
The Rob Dickson-led Costa Mesa Planning Commission meets again Monday, May 11, 2015 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers for what likely will be a VERY interesting meeting.  You can read the agenda HERE.

AN EASY ONE TO BEGIN
It looks like it might start out with an easy one in Public Hearing #1, HERE.  This is a plan for a two-unit development at 1620 Orange Avenue with a couple minor adjustments to setbacks.  As far as I can tell from the staff report, this should be a nice little project.

DENIAL OF RADIO STATION
Public Hearing #2, HERE, is a little more interesting.  This is an appeal of a decision by the Zoning Administrator to deny the application for a radio station at 440 Fair Drive which includes a 70-foot tall antenna in the parking lot!  Some might recall that address - the site of previous controversial businesses.  Reviewing the agenda report, it seems unlikely that the appeal will be approved since there is no way to screen that tower, which is nearly twice the height of any other structure nearby.

MOVING SUTRA LOUNGE
Public Hearing #3, HERE, is an entirely different kettle of fish.  The applicant - Diamond Star Associates, in the person of former Senior Costa Mesa Development executive, Don Lamm - who represents the owners - Greenlaw Partners (a member of which will receive recognition at the upcoming Mayor's Celebration next week) are asking for a Master Plan amendment to move the existing Sutra Lounge - a business that generates significant calls for service - from the current location at the confluence of Newport Boulevard and Harbor Boulevard to the former NikeTown location at the other end of The Triangle, along 19th Street.  The existing space would then be available for another restaurant.

NO PARKING PROBLEM, THEY SAY.... UH, HUH...
According to the staff report, parking will not be a problem because there is a surplus of parking at The Triangle.  OK, if they say so, but my personal experience and that of many of my neighbors is that there are major parking issues at The Triangle, particularly during the evenings when all the restaurants are open and the theaters are operating.  Over the years this shopping venue has gone from one with a diverse array of businesses - most of which typically had customers in and out in less than an hour.  Today, with the theaters, the gym in the basement and the proliferation of popular restaurants, most visitors are staying for two hours plus.  Hearing Lamm's pitch on the parking will be very interesting.  The staff is recommending approval.

ANOTHER INTENSE DEVELOPMENT ON THE WESTSIDE

Public Hearing #4, HERE, is also an interesting item.  This is the development of 177 units at 671 W. 17th Street - the old Argo-Tech industrial site at the corner of 17th Street and Pomona Avenue.  According to the staff report, there will be three-story with rooftop patios in these configurations: 42 detached live/work units; 89 attached live/work units and 46 residential loft units.  Don Lamm is also pitching this one.  The staff report is nearly 1,600 pages!  This project follows the guidelines of the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan created a decade ago.  Theoretically, the parking is within guidelines, but includes some of the "open spaces" within closed garages!  What?  The staff recommends approval of this very intense, traffic-producing development.

ORGANICS RECYCLING MEETING CONFLICTS WITH THIS ONE
Oh, yes, simultaneous with this meeting there will be an Organics Recycling meeting at the same time at the Halecrest Community Center, not too far away.  It's decision time again...

"Sign" Of Trouble At The Triangle

"TIMES SQUARE" ANYONE?
The Costa Mesa Planning Commission, at it's meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 2012, will address a request from the new owners of The Triangle - it used to be known as Triangle Square - for approval to hang huge movable vinyl signs on the carcass of the renovated building that represent advertisers NOT associated with the building.  The image at the top is what one artist thought it might look like with LEDs.  The current proposal would forbid lighting, but not tackiness.

THEY'RE BACK!
Yes, after withdrawing a similar request that involved LED lighted signs earlier this year and spending who-knows-how-much money on the current renovations, Greenlaw Partners are back with a request to plaster signage at two locations on the building - signage space that would be rented out to non-resident advertisers.  You can read the Daily Pilot article on this issue HERE.

CURRENT AGREEMENT FOR TENANTS ONLY
The current agreement apparently calls for signage that only represents tenants of the star-crossed shopping center.  You can read the staff report HERE.  The owners managed to circumvent the spirit of that agreement when they rented a closet to Van's which entitled them to have a huge banner stretched around the corner of Newport Blvd. and 19th Street for folks coming out of the SR-55 ditch to see as they wait for the traffic signal to cycle - sometimes two or three times - before heading on down to Newport Beach to spend their money. 

NEIGHBORS ARE CONCERNED
Concerned residents, mostly Eastside folks, have rallied against this scheme and plan to show up at the Planning Commission meeting Tuesday to vent their collective and individual spleens against this plan, which many of them apparently feel would produce a gaudy, inappropriate distraction for residents.  Most folks could be satisfied with signage for businesses located within the shopping mall - The Yard House or the Starlight Theaters or the new and thriving gym in the basement for example - but are very concerned about ads for inappropriate and offensive businesses.  Correspondence I've seen lists a large number of objectionable potential Costa Mesa businesses that might appear on those signs:

• Condom Stores
• Personal Injury
• Check Cashing
• Massage Parlors
• Credit Debt Counseling
• Mufflers and Exhaust Systems
• Gun Shops
• DUI Attorneys
• Bail Bonds
• Dating Services
• Pet Grooming
• Windshield Repair
• Cash Advance
• Criminal Law Attorneys
• Liquor Stores

TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Because of the pro-developer orientation of the current Planning Commission and City Council majority, opponents feel this may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to loosening up the The City's sign ordinance.  If these large, overpowering signs are permitted here - in one of the primary gateways into our city - they are concerned about what will happen throughout the city later.

MEETING BEGINS AT 6:00 TUESDAY
The Planning Commission meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.  You can read the entire agenda HERE.  This item is the final one on a fairly short agenda, so those wishing to address this before the commission are advised to arrive early.  Each speaker will have 3 minutes to address their concerns following the staff report presentation.