Driveways set at 26 feet

More than 100 people attended Costa Mesa’s City Council meeting Tuesday night to protest proposed parking ordinances, claiming that the rules — unanimously approved by the Planning Commission — represented an unfair government intrusion into their property rights.

The two provisions that riled neighbors up the most aimed to limit driveway widths to 20 feet in most cases (the width of a two-car garage) and would have explicitly banned neighbors from parking on any concrete areas alongside the newly limited driveways.

Neither provision passed as proposed. A substitute proposal passed, 3 to 2, to limit driveway widths to 26 feet in most cases (instead of 20 feet), but on new construction only. Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece and Councilman Eric Bever voted against the substitute proposal.

Residents told the council that it would prove financially difficult and logistically impossible to park their RVs, boats, trailers and extra cars if the ordinances passed.

“I know everybody loves their toys and RVs, and I’m very disappointed with our Planning Commission,” Leece said. “I hope our Planning Commission gets the strong message that ideas like this aren’t going to fly in Costa Mesa.”

Many houses around the city have paved areas wider than their two-car garages on which they park all kinds of vehicles. Parking on those areas would be illegal if the ordinances had passed.

“Who wrote this ordinance?” one woman said. “They couldn’t possibly live in Costa Mesa because almost every other house has a concrete pad up to the property line.”

A lot of the people who spoke said that they had bought their houses in Costa Mesa specifically because they could park their RVs, boats, trailers and other vehicles in their driveways, and the new law would force them to pay hundreds of dollars each month to put their vehicles in storage.

“This is not Irvine. Many owners desire the extra parking spots when they purchase their properties,” said another resident.

He parks a trailer on a concrete pad that he says extends 10 feet beyond his garage to the property line. Walking around his neighborhood north of the fairgrounds one afternoon he said he saw 36 other houses that would be in violation of city parking laws if the new laws passed.

Councilwoman Katrina Foley said there were hundreds in her Mesa del Mar neighborhood that would not conform to the regulations.

“This is very impractical in our city. There are thousands of driveways in our city that would now be illegal,” Foley said.

Several people bemoaned the Planning Commission and its chairman, Jim Righeimer, for bringing forward and passing the three ordinances.

Righeimer, who was not present at the meeting, has said that the proposal was merely a clarification of the intent of the existing laws.

“I think you might have a problem with your Planning Commission if they cant come up with something better than this,” Scott Powelson said.

Reporter ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.