Well, this idea has really caught fire and taken off. Since the column last week we have had not only support to save the fair but also volunteers to help run the effort. Mia Chambers of Acumen Works has donated her expertise in our viral/social marketing campaign.
Before the sun goes down Monday we will have a blog set up at www.savethefair.com. Soon after, the blog will morph into a fully interactive website where we will be able to communicate with anyone interested. Mia, my staffer Ethan Temianka and I now have Twitter accounts, so follow us: @savethefair, @jimrigheimer, @miachambers and @ethantemianka.
Costa Mesa planning staff has also put the issue on the front burner.
Staff noted that the 10-year strategic master plan adopted by the Fair Board of Directors was never adopted by the city as part of a “specific plan” for the site.
A specific plan would put a tighter framework around what a new owner could do with the property. This council has made it crystal clear that it wants the property to stay as the Orange County Fairgrounds no matter who ends up owning it.
Therefore, planning staff will be asking the council Tuesday night if they can work on a specific plan that can be voted in by the council. Now, like I said, the present council agrees with keeping the property as a fairgrounds. However, this plan would merely put a speed bump in the road to any buyer who thinks they can buy the property and change the zoning down the road with a different council. The devil is always in the details.
As long the community agrees with the idea to lock it in as a fairgrounds, this whole process should go smoothly. Remember, our concern is not this council, but some future council that may, for whatever reason, think differently.
