Planning Commission Agenda For Tonight

A BUSY NIGHT TONIGHT
The Costa Mesa Planning Commission, under the direction of Chairman Colin McCarthy - also president of the Costa Mesa Taxpayer's Association and main shill for the OC GOP attempt to take over Costa Mesa government - has an agenda that could generate some interesting discussions and evoke comments from the public, too.  You can read the agenda HERE.  The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers.

MORE ALCOHOL TO BE DISPENSED AT "THE TRIANGLE"!
In the Consent Calendar there is an item requesting yet another liquor license for The Triangle (formerly known as Triangle Square).  You can read the request for the transfer of this license from another location just down the street to this location HERE.  In my opinion, we have more than plenty of places where a person who wants to get soused can do so, including just a stone's throw up the street at a pub owned by a current council member.  I'm hoping that a city council in the future will seriously look at the proliferation of liquor stores and bars in our city.  There's a reason members of the CMPD consistently rank high in the number of DUI arrests they make each year.

RECYCLING CENTER REQUEST CONTINUED
The first Public Hearing deals with a new Recycling Center on the Westside.  The applicant has requested a continuance until the May 14th meeting.

STARBUCKS AND MORE
The second Public Hearing is a request to convert an existing building at 450 17th Street into a drive-thru Starbucks coffee dispensary plus something described as "another food use".  It's my understanding that many of my Eastside neighbors are not happy with this and may show up tonight to speak against it.  You can read the staff report HERE.  As an aside, I have a question... Just how many Starbucks stores do we need in a two block stretch?  This would be the third in basically three blocks!  Yikes!

TWO FOR ONE
The third Public Hearing is a request to convert a residential lot at 164 Flower Street into two parcels so a two-unit common interest development can be constructed and each sold separately.  The variances for this one seem minor.  You can read the staff report HERE.

NEW WESTSIDE DEVELOPMENT
Finally, the fourth Public Hearing deals with a request to build a six-unit common interest development at 2070 Maple Avenue - another attempt to upgrade the Westside one development at a time.  The staff report, including all the requests for variances, can be read HERE.
 
MORE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS LATELY
In case you've not noticed, our Planning Commission has begun to have more meetings lately.  That's a very good thing.  That means that folks with money have finally decided to spend some of it developing and re-developing properties in Costa Mesa.

SPECIAL NOTE:

My blog host has apparently has had a temper tantrum and is refusing to let me post most images in locations I want.  So, for the near term, I'm just going to have to deal with it the best I can.  Some of you who come here for the fun images are just going to have to suffer along with me until we get this sorted out.  I don't know how this will affect comments or other features.  Please be patient.  Sorry...

Planning Commission Meeting Tonight

FINALLY...
The Costa Mesa Planning Commission will meet for the first time in a couple months - its February meeting was usurped by a special Charter meeting.





AGENDA INCLUDES "THE TRIANGLE" MASTER PLAN
The agenda tonight, beginning at 6:00 in council chambers at City Hall, is a long one. You can read it HERE. There are seven (7) public hearings scheduled, including a review of the conditional use permit for the recycling operations at the Stater Brothers market on Newport Blvd; an amendment of the hours of operation at Target and a Master Plan for "The Triangle" - formerly known as Triangle Square. This last one might get a few folks to attend since there is new signage that might offend a few neighbors. You can read that agenda item HERE.

CODE ENFORCEMENT
The meeting will kick off with a review of recent Code Enforcement activities - HERE. Then it will discuss Jim Fitzpatrick's request for a review of Code Enforcement staffing last December. You can read that very interesting staff report HERE. Based on the report by Willa Bouwens-Killeen, Chief of Code Enforcement, to meet minimum requirements the staffing needs to be increased significantly. That's no surprise, since the Code Enforcement staff is down from 7 full time and 3 part time three years ago to 3 full time and 3 part time (and a part-time Chief) today.

TWO MEETINGS THIS MONTH, FINALLY...
I also noted that, at the very end of the agenda, there is a note that the Planning Commission will hold its next meeting on March 26th. That makes two meetings in a month for the first time in more than a year. Because there has been limited demand for their service the commission has only been meeting once a month. However, they've still been collecting their $400 checks - among the highest of any planning commission in Orange County - while working half the time. Seems just a little inconsistent for such budget watchdogs like Colin McCarthy and Jimmy Fitzy, don't you think?

"Sign" Of The Times, Pot Mongers & More

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MONDAY
Monday, April 11, 2001 finds us with another Planning Commission meeting here in good old Costa Mesa. At the meeting in City Council chambers that begins at 6:00 p.m. there are four Public Hearing items on the, including a discussion of plans for a Chick-Fil-A restaurant and a Fresh and Easy market in that stretch of Harbor Blvd. near McDonald's.

The interesting part of the evening, though, will be under "Business Items", where the three items are:

1 - Technological Efficiencies for Consideration in Preparation of the Upcoming Budget
2 - Potential Revisions to City Sign Regulations
3- Mandatory self-Certification Program Regarding the Legal Use of Apartment Garages

LED SIGNS COMING?
Item 2, which was requested by Planning Commissioner Jim Fitzpatrick (who apparently will be absent from the meeting) would seem to be the one with the potential for the most public outcry, since it includes section F - Removal of electronic changeable copy LED signs a prohibited sign and create development standards. You can read that staff report HERE. Currently electronic changeable copy LED signs are prohibited, but can be allowed through a planned signing program. You will recall the public outcry when the new owners of Triangle Square - our municipal oxymoron - attempted to have a couple LED signs placed on their building, including one 10 ft. X 96 ft. that would cast Las Vegas-style illumination into surrounding residential neighborhoods. They withdrew their request following public outcry. This item, based only on the skimpy staff report, looks to open up this issue for city-wide application. Do we really want Costa Mesa to look like the Westminster Mall, with its eyeball-searing sign along the freeway?

CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION TUESDAY
Tuesday the City Council will hold a Study Session in Conference Room 1A in City Hall at 4:30 p.m. The agenda includes three items:

1 - Medical Marijuana Management Presentation

2 - I-405 Improvement Project

3 - 2011-2012 Community Development Block Grant Public Service Grant Recommendations

PEDDLING DOPE IN COSTA MESA
The first item has no staff report - a presentation will be made by local pot merchant Jeff Byrne and a northern California lawyer for marijuana interests, Max Del Real.

WIDENING THE I-405
The second item, which involves a discussion of widening the I-405 Freeway from basically Costa Mesa north to the I-605, has a long staff report, HERE. Two of the alternatives discussed involve no additional lanes in Costa Mesa, but two others do. The conversation should be interesting.

CDBG FUND DISTRIBUTION
The third item has a staff report which includes an interesting PowerPoint presentation, HERE. Basically, the city's Redevelopment and Residential Rehabilitation (3R) Committee takes requests for CDBG funds, applies a qualification matrix to them, then recommends distribution to the City Council. The council is not obligated to stick to the recommendations and, in fact, we don't even know precisely how much money will be available yet for distribution.

RIGHEIMER AND MERCY HOUSE
As an aside, I've asked City CEO Tom Hatch to address the fact that Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer is a member of the Board of Directors of Mercy House, one of the applicants. It seems to me that he has a very significant conflict of interest and should be prohibited from any discussions or votes on any issue involving Mercy House. I just sent the question to Hatch and have no reply yet.

The Week Ahead

PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING KICKS IT OFF
Beginning with the Planning Commission meeting Monday evening, the week ahead promises to be filled with drama and tension.



A BREAK FROM CAMPAIGNING
Monday at least four-fifths of the Planning Commission will take a brief break from campaigning for Chairman Jim Righeimer and actually get back to legitimate city business. That will be nice for a change.


SEVERAL INTERESTING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
Among the items that will be discussed during the meeting will be:

1) Code Enforcement Update, in which the commissioners will hear about the recent effectiveness of the Code Enforcement organization;

2) Three items dealing with the under-renovation shopping center previously occupied by a Von's Supermarket at the corner of Orange Avenue and 17th Street;

3) An Urgency Ordinance modifying the way the city deals with medical marijuana dispensaries in our city;

4) An amendment to Title 20 of our Municipal Code which significantly changes the way vehicles parked in driveways or on lawns will be handled in the future. Inoperative vehicles will not be permitted to be parked on driveways or front lawns - they must be either in the garage or behind a permanent opaque fence in the back yard;

5) The implementation of a pilot Residential Neighborhood Enhancement Program - a targeted Code Enforcement plan for a specific part of the city. You can read the staff report HERE.

TUESDAY BRINGS, IRONICALLY, ETHICS TRAINING
Then, Tuesday the Planning Commission will meet in a Joint Meeting with the City Council at 4:30 for a Study Session that will cover the regularly-scheduled ethics training. How ironic for this training to occur in one of the most contentious council campaigns in memory!

MULTIPLE COUNCIL MEETINGS SCHEDULED
Also Tuesday, following the above-mentioned Study Session, the City Council will meet in a Special Joint Meeting of the Redevelopment Agency and the City Council at 6:30. I could find no agenda for that meeting.

MORE NEGOTIATIONS
Immediately after that meeting the City Council will adjourn to a Closed Session to discuss negotiations with the city bargaining units. Do you think Eric Bever will take a little dinner break about that time? Or, will he show up at all?

REGULAR MEETING AFTER ALL THE REST
And, following that Closed Session, they will meet in a Special Regular Council Meeting to discuss three items:

FINALLY, KIM BARLOW'S REPORT!
1) The report on the results of the City Attorney Kimberly Hall Barlow's investigation of the 9/16/10 DUI Checkpoint Incident involving Planning Commission Chairman Jim Righeimer

INTERESTING AGREEMENT WITH THE FIREFIGHTERS
2) A side letter of agreement with the Costa Mesa Firefighters Association. This one is fascinating because the staff report presents a wide array of agreements to be considered that will result in cost reductions of $633,400. The most provocative of the items is #7, in which the City will agree to request an RFP from the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) for contract fire/emergency services. The Costa Mesa Firefighters Association will initially fund the cost of the proposal. You can read the side letter HERE.

CANCEL THE 11/2/10 MEETING?
3) The council will discuss canceling the November 2, 2010 City Council Meeting - it's election day. Of course, we don't want to put City business ahead of the personal political ambitions of a couple officials, now do we? Nah!

THURSDAY'S FORUM
Thursday there will be the final City Council candidate forum, hosted by my friends of the Eastside Costa Mesa Neighbor's Group. That event will be held at the Neighborhood Community Center, 1845 Park Avenue (Lions Park) and will begin at 6:30 with a meet and greet and the formal program will run from 7:00 to 8:30. Eastsider Marnie Primmer will moderate this event and there will be no television coverage provided.

FIREWORKS IN STORE?
This one could be interesting. There will be no television coverage of this final event - one that has the potential to be action-packed. For example, I sure wouldn't be surprised if Righeimer is questioned about his role in the approval of the LED light display at Triangle Square - the application has since been withdrawn. Some members of the community wonder if the applicant - represented by former mayor Peter Buffa, may just be marking time until a new, more sympathetic city council is seated. I guess we'll see.

MCEVOY RUMORS
Also, there are rumors about some kind of demonstration at the forum against candidate Chris McEvoy in retaliation for the attention the police association is giving to Righeimer. McEvoy has nothing to do with that, but some of Righeimer's supporters view him as a threat to Righeimer's chances, so they are fabricating issues like the gutless bullies they are.

It will be a very interesting week, indeed.

Triangle Square LED Lights Withdrawn!

LED SIGNS REQUEST WITHDRAWN
Costa Mesa planning officials confirmed to me this afternoon that Greenlaw Partners, owners of Triangle Square, and their consultant - former mayor Peter Buffa, under whose watch Triangle Square was built - have withdrawn their request for LED lights at that beleaguered shopping mall.

RIGGY APPROVED, LEECE APPEALED
You will recall that the Jim Righeimer-led Planning Commission approved the LED light displays, but their decision was appealed by Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece. The hearing on that item was recently continued to the first meeting in October on the 5th. Apparently the applicants can withdraw this request without the restriction of having to wait at least 6 months before re-submitting it for consideration again.



JOY ON THE EASTSIDE TODAY
This news will certainly make my Eastside neighbors happy. No issue since the discussion of expanding Newport Blvd. has energized my part of town as much as this one has - and correctly so.

WIND SHIFT CAUSED DECISION?
We don't know what precipitated the decision by Buffa and his clients, but it may have been due to the tremendous outpouring of resident opposition PLUS the recent negative press being heaped upon Righeimer personally for his actions a week ago at the DUI checkpoint. Buffa is a very, very savvy politician who can read the political tea leaves with the best of them. Aways with his finger in the wind, Buffa likely knows trying to jam through a very unpopular issue immediately before a election where several of the decision-makers are deeply immersed in their own campaigns could doom the project.

WATCH FOR IT IN JANUARY
I won't be surprised at all to see this plan re-surface in a less-onerous version following the elections - perhaps the first of the year when the new city council and planning commission members are seated. Personally, I agree that Triangle Square needs SOME kind of signage to draw folks to it. I just think the planned 10X96 foot sign overlooking the terminus of the 55 Freeway at 19th Street and Newport Blvd. was overkill.

KUDOS, EASTSIDERS!
Regardless, kudos to my neighbors in the Eastside of Costa Mesa for their activism on this issue.

Council Meeting Promises Some Entertainment

FUN ON TUESDAY AFTER LABOR DAY(AMENDED)Tuesday, September 7th, the Costa Mesa City Council will return from a long Labor Day weekend to deal with some sticky issues at their council meeting beginning at 6:00. Actually, the closed session will commence at 5:00, so if you want to address either of the two closed session items - labor negotiations with the bargaining units and real property negotiations dealing with the Fairgrounds - be there promptly at 5. (NOTE: With all the late requests for continuances and items withdrawn, this could be a short meeting. Don't blink!)

FIXING THE SANITARY DISTRICT FLEET - AT COST
At 6:00, though, the regular meeting will commence and a review of the agenda provides some fodder for contemplation. For example, in the Consent Calendar - items which may be lumped together for a single vote - item #6 tells us the City proposes to perform fleet maintenance and repair services on Costa Mesa Sanitary District vehicles. Reading that staff report we learn that the city will not make a profit since the Sanitary District will provide the parts and our staff will perform the labor "at cost". Interesting.

FARMING OUT OUR DRUNK WOMEN
Item 7 is an agreement with the Huntington Beach Police Department to house at their facility the dozen or so female "drunk in public" arrests Costa Mesa makes each year, apparently because we lack facilities to house them. I've called the PD for more information because we just spent millions of dollars to renovate our Police Facility, so I wonder why this need was not anticipated since we've had such an agreement since 1993! Unfortunately, there was nobody available today to talk about it. Such is life in the land of budget cuts.

MORE "FAIRGROUNDS" DISCUSSION
Then, the council will morph into the Orange County Fairgrounds Authority (OCFA) for a meeting during which they will consider - again - two items dealing with the lease with Facilities Management West. There's no reason to believe there will be new information, but there is no staff report attached to the agenda as of noon on Friday.

The council will then reappear as itself and start with the meat of the meeting.

GARCIA RECYCLING MAY BE CONTINUED
Public Hearing #1 will be the appeal by Garcia Recycling of the Planning Commission's revocation of it's conditional use permit for a recycling facility on West 19th Street. We assume there will be significant public input on this issue. The staff report was so long that it required six segments, individually downloaded! The Staff is recommending continuation of this issue until the meeting of October 5th.

NEIGHBOR APPEALS SCHOOL USE ON RED HILL
Next is the appeal of the Planning Commissions approval of a conditional use permit by a continuous neighboring business of the proposed school site on Red Hill. (NOTE: Late Friday a request from the appellant was received requesting a continuance to as far out as January. No word if the request will be considered.)

TRIANGLE SQUARE LED SIGNS
Then comes the biggie of the evening - the appeal by Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece of the Planning Commission's recent approval of huge LED light displays on the foundering Triangle Square retail center. Two signs, one 15X20 feet on the corner of Newport Blvd. and Harbor Blvd, facing outbound Newport Blvd. traffic and the second, and most controversial one, on the corner of 19th Street and Newport Blvd., facing the traffic emerging from the 55 Freeway ditch onto Newport Blvd. This sign, proposed and approved at 10X96 feet - nearly 1,000 square feet - that will wrap around the building just below the dome and will spill illumination more than 200 degrees around the corner. The image shown here was provided by a concerned resident, giving an idea of just what such a sign might look like.
INCREASE IN OVERALL SIGNAGE ALLOWANCE
In addition to being a huge distraction to drivers coming off the freeway, this particular sign will be in addition to the 2400 square feet of signage approved for the center, driving the approved total signage to just over 3400 square feet.

APPLICANT REQUESTS CONTINUANCE FOR A MONTH
My understanding is that several residents plan to attend and speak to this issue, even thought the applicant has requested a continuance until October 5th.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA DISPENSARY URGENCY ORDINANCE
After some housekeeping issue, the final two items on the agenda, for which there are no staff reports available, might generate some interest. The first, New Business #1, is an urgency ordinance dealing with medical marijuana dispensaries, but no staff report is available, so we don't know why the urgency ordinance is necessary and what it will accomplish. I expect we'll see City Council Candidate Susan Lester speak on this one, since this is the only plank in her campaign platform.(NOTE: Late Friday this item was pulled from the agenda. No word about reasons for removing it, or why it was on the agenda as an "urgency item" in the first place!)

A BUMP IN THE BIA TAX
Finally, the council will consider a resolution permitting an increase in the assessment for the Business Improvement Area (BIA), raising the assessment from 2% to 3%. Apparently the BIA doesn't have enough cash to promote Costa Mesa properly, so want to dip into the pockets of visitors for just a little more. You will recall that a 2% increase in the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) will appear on the November ballot.

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY!
Have a great Labor Day holiday. Posting of comments may be delayed over the weekend.

Candidates And The "Signing" of Triangle Square

FILING DATE CAME AND WENT FRIDAY
The filing closing day for the November elections was last Friday, August 6th with the exception of those races in which the incumbent chose not to run. Potential candidates in those races have until 5:00 p.m. on August 11th to complete and submit papers. Locally, the Costa Mesa Sanitary District race in which incumbent Gary Monahan has chosen not to run remains open until Wednesday.

WHO'S RUNNING?
Here's a rundown for the Costa Mesa-related races:

COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL
With 2 seats being contested, here are your 5 candidates: Incumbent Wendy Leece; carpetbagger and Planning Commission Chairman Jim Righeimer; former candidate and school teacher Chris McEvoy; newcomer and proponent of medical marijuana dispensaries in our city, Susan Lester and last-minute filer Chad Petschl. Nobody has heard of him, so I'm going to try to get information on him soon.


COSTA MESA SANITARY DISTRICT
With 3 seats being contested: Incumbent Arlene Schafer; Incumbent Bob Ooten; Former board member, council member and Mr. Fish Fry, Mike Scheafer and rookie Planning Commissioner and self-anointed water guru, Jim Fitzpatrick.

MESA CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT

Division 4: Incumbent Jim Atkinson

Division 5: Incumbent Shawn Dewane and Tax Professional Peter Meuter

Division 2(short term): Appointed Incumbent and former Planning Commissioner Jim Fisler; Current Sanitary District Board Member and recently-retired long-time coach and teacher at Estancia High School Art Perry; Business owner and former Sanitary District Board Member and long-time community activist Dan Worthington.

NEWPORT-MESA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Trustee Area 2: Incumbent Michael Collier; Lawyer and Costa Mesa Council Woman Katrina Foley
Trustee Area 4: Incumbent Karen Yelsey
Trustee Area 5: Incumbent Judy Franco; Retired Municipal Administrator, Loretta Zimmerman
Trustee Area 7: Gloria Alkire; Incumbent and former long-time Costa Mesa Planning Commissioner Walt Davenport

MANSOOR PERPETUATES THE LIE ON THE BALLOT
By the way, I see from his ballot statement that Mayor Allan Mansoor and candidate for the 68th Assembly seat being vacated by Van Tran is perpetuating the falsehood on his ballot statement that he's a Deputy Sheriff. He quit that job the end of last year and it's a real shame that the system permits him to mislead the voters with such a blatant lie. Such is life, I guess. It probably won't be the last time he lies to his constituents...

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TUNE IN FOR THE "PETER BUFFA" SHOW MONDAY
Monday's Planning Commission meeting should be very interesting. Among the items on the agenda is the proposal, ramrodded by former Costa Mesa mayor, all-around funny guy and consultant Peter Buffa, to turn Triangle Square into a mini-Las Vegas. Yep, the pitch will be to permit two HUGE LED (light emitting diode) signs on the facade of Triangle Square, one at the intersection of Newport Blvd. and Harbor Blvd., that will be 15 feet wide by 20 feet high! The second, and even more fun, will wrap around the facade just below the former NikeTown dome and will be - are you ready? - 10 feet high by 96 feet wide! That's right, almost a third the length of a football field wide! According to the drawings included in the staff report, you'll be able to see parts of that sign from Broadway, near the corner of Newport Blvd., all the way around to 19th Street nearly to Harbor Blvd. - a more than 200 degree arc!

Now, we're told that there will be no spill-over illumination from either sign into residential neighborhoods. OK, if you say so.

ARE THEY REALLY NECESSARY?
These signs are apparently necessary to draw folks into the nearly dormant municipal white elephant and oxymoron. Several owners have tried, and failed miserably, to make things work at Triangle Square. The current owners are attempting to rejuvenate it and think these signs will do the trick. They will advertise stores and events at the shopping center and, at least as originally proposed, will also advertise national and regional products and events. I suspect that, with more than 100,000 cars passing that location each day, the owners will be able to make a tidy pile of money for advertising on the signs. According to the information provided, the signs will display an image for a minimum of 4 seconds before changing. I imagine Councilman Gary Monahan will be very happy that the patrons of his gin mill will be able to walk out the front door and see ads for his competitors, The Sutra Lounge and The Yard House glaring away only a block down the street.

WHAT WILL BE ON THE SIGNS?
What will those signs advertise besides Triangle Square businesses? Will they advertise our massage parlors, tattoo parlors and medical marijuana dispensaries? Will they carry political ads? Imagine an array of Allan Mansoor smiley faces looking down at you as you are heading for the beach! Yikes!! Who decides the content? Once that genie is out of the bottle will there be any restriction of the content?

IS ENOUGH ENOUGH?
So, do you think the City of Costa Mesa needs any more garish signage? Is this the way our city is going? Just drive down the 405 through Westminster and Huntington Beach any night to see what this may end up looking like. The lights on some of the signs adjacent to the roadway are so bright they almost fry your retinas! Do we really want to emerge from the ditch at the end of the 55 Freeway to find ourselves forced to put on sun glasses at night as we wait through two or three cycles of the traffic signals at 19th Street and Newport Blvd.? Do you want to be distracted by a 15X20 image of a scantily-clad model luring you to the Sutra Lounge while waiting to make a left turn onto Harbor Blvd. off Newport Blvd.? Hmmm. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea after all! The discussion is going to be interesting, regardless the outcome.

Triangle Square Resurrected - Again?

OXYMORONIC MUSINGS
The local media is all a'twitter with reports that the most recent ownership consortium - in a long line of owners - of Costa Mesa's municipal oxymoronic white elephant, Triangle Square, is all ready to present to the city a plan for the revitalization of this near-dead shopping mall. It's about time! This thing has been brought back from the grave way too many times, only to resume the dying cockroach position because of misguided management and/or a lack of action on the part of the ownership.

UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS
Those of us who have lived in this town for awhile recall that this was the first big redevelopment project - one that promised a wonderful shopping venue in a rehabilitated downtown. It was to be anchored by major retailers and have a market in the lower reaches - a plan that turned out to be a disaster. Few women returned to the market, even though the vendors changed a couple times. They were uncomfortable about the dark, dank parking venue and just plain afraid to go back.

BUSINESSES BAIL OUT
Ownership changed again and again but there never seemed to be a clear vision for the mall. In the past couple years the major anchor retailers - Niketown, Virgin Megastore and Barnes and Nobel Booksellers - all bailed out. Other smaller, yet prestigious, retailers like North Face had pulled out earlier. The family-oriented shops and restaurants left and the Edwards theaters have limped along, probably not making enough to cover their overhead. According to the reports, the mall is only 40% occupied now.

UNDERMINING THE PLANS?
So, as I read the media accounts of this latest plan I found myself with more than a few questions. For example, how does the Great Tunnel that Mayor Mansoor and his majority are proposing to bore under Newport Blvd. from the terminus of the 55 Freeway to the Newport Beach city limits to take most of those 100,000 cars each day that pass the intersection of Newport Blvd. and 19th Street underground figure in the plans of the Triangle Square ownership? Are the businesses they hope to locate in their building going to be dependent on those potential shoppers? If so, is the plan viable without them?

BRIDGES PLANNED?
The rendering provided showed no bridge across Newport Blvd. If bridges were built - similar to the bridges that link South Coast Plaza across Bear Street and Bristol Street - to span both Harbor and Newport Blvd. from Triangle Square to the adjacent shopping areas, it might eliminate concerns about the traffic problems.

DRUNKS AND ROWDIES?
What kind of businesses are going to be compatible with the current mix of businesses located there? These include three gin mills, one of which apparently has one of the highest calls-for-service rates by the Costa Mesa Police Department.

CHILDLESS DWELLINGS?
The new owners plan 120 dwelling units, a few of which will be live/work units. I find myself wondering just who will live in this place. Certainly, no families with children will choose to try to raise them in a cramped place with no area to play, surrounded by three of the busiest streets in Orange County. It seems likely that the residents will be single people or childless couples.

RENT OR OWN?
And, are these proposed to be rental units or owner-occupied condos? The location seems perfect for apartments, except our city leaders say they want to reverse the upside-down renter vs. owner ratio in our city. It will be very interesting to see how this shakes down.

CLOGGING ARTERIES
Also, adding 120 residential units - which will likely dump 200-300 trips per day out onto Newport, Harbor and/or 19th Street - will only exacerbate the pending traffic snarl to be created by the nearly-complete 147 units at the 1901 Newport Plaza condo development across the street. What's the plan for this additional traffic at one of Orange County's busiest intersections?

POLITICAL POPPYCOCK
Another interesting sidebar of this process will be the position the mayor takes. He and his cronies were highly critical of Mike Scheafer and Bruce Garlich for their position on the aforementioned condo development during the campaign last year. Will they support this project at Triangle Square when they feigned such opposition to a similar development? Or, was all that rhetoric last year pure politics? I'll bet we can guess the answer to that one.

SMART ENOUGH TO MAKE IT WORK?
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for a change at Triangle Square to finally make it the thriving entity once anticipated when it was conceived almost 20 years ago. If the new ownership can pull this off, Triangle Square could become the perfect gateway to a revitalized Westside - something most Costa Mesa voters hope for. What remains to be seen is whether our current city leadership is smart enough to figure a way to make this work. Keep your fingers crossed, but don't hold your breath.