We took a lot of heat from Costa Mesa planning commissioners after
our Aug. 15 editorial criticized the commission and the City Council
for rejecting, respectively, a couple of two-story home projects
within a one-week span. Despite taking our lumps, we're standing our
ground on that position.
But we do applaud the council's latest decision -- one the
Planning Commission and city planners also made -- to reject a
resident's request to build five single-family homes on a half-acre
Eastside lot. Why? One just can't squeeze five homes onto that small
of a space.
The city's leaders and planners also had new zoning requirements
passed July 1 to support their decisions. The tightened zoning allows
developers with special circumstances, such as an unusual lot shape
or size, to be exempted and to be able to create such a project on a
one-acre lot. The lot at 258 Santa Isabel Ave. fell nowhere near that
category.
The project also failed to meet another requirement: The
individual portions must be built on a minimum of 5,000 square feet
for small-lot divisions. The Santa Isabel owner proposed
3,410-square-feet parcels.
"We need to send a strong message that we are committed to
upholding the integrity of [low-density] residential neighborhoods,"
Mayor Linda Dixon said.
We agree, but only when the city's laws support such decisions.
When a new proposal for the Santa Isabel property comes before the
Planning Commission and City Council, we hope the property owner
arrives with a project that abides by the city's guidelines it failed
to meet this month. We also hope those five-member panels will
recognize the effort and support the project if it warrants approval.
For, while the council and commission members have the right to their
own opinions, property owners also have rights, and they should be
respected.
