State and local leaders are taking big steps this month in the redevelopment of a former state hospital campus in Costa Mesa.
The state broke ground last week on a new emergency operations facility using a portion of the sprawling Fairview Developmental Center property and on Tuesday, Oct. 21, the Costa Mesa City Council is preparing to review plans that would outline the construction of thousands of new homes on the remaining land.
Construction of the state’s Southern Regional Emergency Operations Center, which will house a 39,000-square-foot office and 21,000-square-foot warehouse on 15 acres, is expected to be completed in two years. The center will function as a disaster response hub in Southern California, serving 23 million people across 11 counties and 226 cities.
“California is no stranger to natural disasters. Just this year alone we experienced earthquakes, heavy storms and destructive wildfires,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a press release. “This new facility in Southern California will help us more proactively ensure Californians are safe from the next major disaster in their area.”
Its construction still leaves a lot of land for the city to guide future use.
The 115-acre Fairview Developmental Center opened in 1959 as a state-operated residential care facility for more than 2,600 people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. In 2015, then-Gov. Jerry Brown closed the site and relocated remaining Fairview residents to small-group housing and home care.
In 2022, Costa Mesa received $3.5 million in state funding to plan for the redevelopment of 100 of its acres into much-needed housing. The city’s housing element estimates the Fairview property could accommodate at least 2,300 residential units, which would make a sizable dent in the state’s mandate for the city to support the construction of at least 11,760 new homes by the end of the decade. At least 40% of the units need to be affordable for low- to very-low-income families.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the councilmembers are set to consider housing scenarios recommended by the city’s Planning Commission. If approved, the city would then conduct an environmental impact study on design concepts with between 2,300 and 4,000 housing units. The state will select the developer to take on the project.
Carrie Tai, the city’s economic and development services director, said in August that the planning process and environmental impact report may not be complete until the end of next year. She said it could take several more years for the project to break ground, and at least a decade before construction wraps up.
The city’s “preferred” layout, as presented to the Planning Commission, comprises 3,800 housing units, with 35,000 square feet of retail and 12 acres of open space. Two access roads would connect the development to Harbor Boulevard, one of which cuts through the golf course.
Some residents have previously raised concerns about the density of the city’s preferred housing plan and the lack of recreational spaces and amenities, such as parks, sports fields and community gardens.
The City Council’s public hearing starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in the City Hall Council Chambers at 77 Fair Drive. For more information: fdcplan.com.
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