Costa Mesa’s first City Council candidates’ forum of the season Thursday was a tame one.
There was no arguing, no shouting and no fist-pounding as the candidates tried out their responses to questions that they will undoubtedly hear many more times before November’s election.
But the debate, sponsored by Mesa Verde’s Homeowners Assn., did bring to light some significant differences in policy among the nine council hopefuls vying for three open seats in the fall.
Foremost on the minds of the audience members writing the questions appeared to be the issue of development. A vast majority of the questions centered on the subject — everything from what will happen to Banning Ranch, what action to take on the Westside and where the line is drawn between too much and too little development.
Although Banning Ranch is not technically a Costa Mesa issue — the 400-acre parcel of land falls under Newport Beach’s sphere of influence — it’s clear that Costa Mesa streets and the 55 Freeway would be used for transportation to and from any new development there. The property is also right next to the Westside of the city, divided by only a 1-foot strip of land.
Chris Bunyan, Katrina Foley and Chris McEvoy were the most adamantly opposed to developing the area, saying it would better serve the community as undeveloped coastal park land that could be used by residents. All three quickly raised their hands when asked whether they didn’t want to see the land developed; the other six candidates did not.
“We’re not going to realize what we have until it’s gone. Just imagine 50 years down the road when we have a big beautiful piece of land that’s like our Central Park,” McEvoy said, echoing a sentiment that Bunyan has been advocating for a long time now as part of the Save the Banning Ranch Task Force.
Bunyan said the proposed development — which would include 1,300 homes, a 75-room hotel and businesses — would have a devastating effect on traffic throughout the downtown Costa Mesa area and into the Westside as well as stripping the city of a chance to have coastal view hiking trails and natural scenery.
Bill Sneen and Lisa Reedy were less vociferous on the issue, but said that they would try to minimize the development of the area.
