COSTA MESA PLANNING COMMISSION TO HOLD A SPECIAL MEETING ON MONDAY

🏢Costa Mesa Planning Commission Special Meeting – Monday, August 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM

📍 City Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive

📄 View the Agenda here.  

Attend in person or by Zoom, watch on TV, or on YouTube. Instructions are in the Agenda.

🎤 PUBLIC COMMENTS:  This is the time for YOU to comment for THREE FREE minutes on ANYTHING that is not on the agenda. There will also be a public comment period for each Agenda item.

WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY CLERK BY NOON.

🗂️ CONSENT CALENDAR:  Minutes of the July 27 meeting. These minutes had to be corrected when several Commissioners found errors.

📢 PUBLIC HEARINGS: Only one item:

1.    General Plan Amendment to Amend Housing Element to Add Additional Housing Element Sites to Sites Inventory. Staff is requesting that the Planning Commission adopt a resolution recommending City Council approval of a General Plan Amendment to update Costa Mesa's Sixth Cycle (2021-2029) Housing Element. The proposed update would revise the Housing Element Sites Inventory by adding and removing housing opportunity sites and making related text amendments necessary to comply with state housing laws and recent court decisions.

Legal and Regulatory Background: Court rulings, including New Commune DTLA LLC v. City of Redondo Beach and Martinez v. City of Clovis, established that overlay zones used to accommodate Housing Element sites must require a minimum of 50% residential use and permit residential development at densities of at least 20 dwelling units per acre (du/ac).

Additionally, the City must comply with California's "No Net Loss" law (Government Code § 65863), which requires jurisdictions to maintain sufficient site capacity to meet their Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) obligations across all income categories.

The City is also currently subject to a Petition for Writ of Mandate filed by the State in Orange County Superior Court. The petition seeks a court order requiring the City to adopt a compliant Housing Element and complete the necessary rezonings within 120 days of the issuance of the writ.

Housing Element Update Process: Following City Council direction on March 17, 2026, Staff conducted outreach to property owners and the broader community regarding potential Housing Element revisions. As a result, some property owners requested that their properties be added to the Housing Element Sites Inventory, while others requested removal.

To maintain compliance with state housing law and satisfy RHNA requirements, Staff worked with consultant Dudek to identify additional housing opportunity sites. The update is intended to:

• Replace development capacity lost through the removal of 26 sites, representing approximately 6,390 housing units.

  
  

• Apply a more realistic development assumption of 80% site capacity, rather than relying on maximum theoretical buildout.

  
  

• Ensure adequate housing opportunities across all RHNA income categories.

  
  

• Maintain a 10% to 20% capacity buffer above RHNA requirements.

  
  

• Identify new sites that:

  
  

  • Are eligible under Measure K.

  • Have not previously been designated or removed as Housing Element sites.

  • Are located within moderate-, high-, or highest-resource areas with access to transportation, schools, services, and amenities.

  • Do not contain existing residential uses, have utilization rates above 60%, or present significant site constraints.

  • Reflect demonstrated development interest, including requests from property owners.

The proposed Housing Element text amendments would also:

• Remove references to sites no longer included in the inventory.

  
  

• Advance Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) objectives by promoting equitable housing opportunities, reducing segregation, and minimizing displacement.

  
  

• Update the status of Housing Element program implementation.

  
  

• Ensure consistency with current state housing laws.

  
  

• Incorporate community and stakeholder feedback received throughout the process.

Based on these criteria and subsequent review, staff identified 94 new Housing Element sites with an estimated capacity of approximately 6,978 housing units. The proposal also includes:

• 11 sites requested for addition by property owners.

• 26 sites requested for removal by property owners.

The 11-property owner-requested additions are included within the total of 94 proposed new sites. Collectively, the revisions are intended to replace lost housing capacity, maintain RHNA compliance, respond to property owner input, and ensure consistency with state housing requirements.

Here are the sites proposed to be removed:

Removed Sites

And the sites to be added:

Added Sites

Compliance and Environmental Review: According to the Agenda Report, the proposed amendments are consistent with both state law and the City’s General Plan. Environmental review was completed through a Mitigated Negative Declaration and is statutorily exempt from CEQA under SB 131.

Next Steps and Alternatives: The Planning Commission may recommend approval of the proposed amendments, with or without modifications, or continue the item for further review. Following Planning Commission action, the Housing Element update will proceed to the City Council for consideration. City staff must complete the update within the applicable legal deadlines and address any remaining public or California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) comments prior to final adoption, which is tentatively scheduled for September 1, 2026.

🕰️ OLD BUSINESS: None.

🆕 NEW BUSINESS: One item:

1.    Study Session to Introduce (1) Proposed Measure K Zoning Code Amendments, Citywide Multi-Family Residential and Mixed-Use Objective Design Standards, (2) Proposed Repeal of Urban Plans , (3) Amendments To Circulation, Community Design, Land Use, Noise, and Open Space and Recreation Elements of General Plan, and (4) Amendments to Newport Boulevard Specific Plan, North Costa Mesa Specific Plan, and One Metro West Specific Plan. Staff will present a wide-ranging package of proposed changes to the City's zoning regulations, General Plan, and specific plans. The study session is informational only and is intended to gather feedback from Planning Commissioners before the proposals return for formal consideration by both the Planning Commission and City Council.

The proposed amendments would implement Measure K by updating the Zoning Code, establishing new citywide objective design standards for multi-family and mixed-use development, repealing several existing urban plans, and amending portions of the General Plan and three specific plans: Newport Boulevard, North Costa Mesa, and One Metro West.

Zoning Code Amendments: The proposed Zoning Code amendments would:

• Expand the Mixed-Use Overlay District (MUOD) to additional areas throughout the city, allowing higher residential densities and broader mixed-use development opportunities.

• Eliminate the requirement for urban plans and master plans in mixed-use areas, streamlining the development review process.

• Update definitions, application procedures, land use regulations, and development standards, including provisions related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), density bonuses, and parking.

Objective Design Standards (ODS): Staff is proposing new citywide ODS for multi-family and mixed-use projects that are three stories or taller. The standards are intended to create clear, measurable, and enforceable design requirements that reduce subjectivity and increase predictability for both applicants and residents. The standards address topics including:

• Building massing and scale

• Architectural design and facades

• Open space requirements

• Landscaping

• Site design and improvements

Repeal of Urban Plans: The City proposes to "sunset" four urban plans:

• SoBECA

• 19 West

• Mesa West Bluffs

• Mesa West Residential Ownership

The development potential currently contained within these plans would be incorporated into the revised zoning code and expanded Mixed-Use Overlay District.

Increased Development Intensity: One of the most significant aspects of the proposal is the increase in allowable development intensity in many areas of the city. For example, properties along Newport Boulevard could potentially accommodate buildings up to six stories in height and residential densities of up to 30 dwelling units per acre.

MUOD Maximum Densities and Building Heights

Environmental Review: A Program Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) was prepared for the proposed amendments. The PEIR identified significant environmental impacts in several areas, including aesthetics, air quality, transportation, and noise. While mitigation measures are proposed, many impacts could not be fully mitigated.

Notably, the Final PEIR identifies 31 significant and unavoidable impacts, which would remain even after implementation of mitigation measures. Residents and decision-makers will need to weigh these impacts against the anticipated benefits of the proposed regulatory changes.

The Agenda Report also does not highlight that the Draft PEIR identified Alternative B, "Housing Element Sites Only," as the environmentally preferred alternative.

For additional background, you can review our comment letter on the Draft PEIR here.  

Long-Term Implications: According to Staff, the proposed amendments would facilitate future development opportunities on more than 1,000 parcels citywide and create theoretical capacity for approximately 21,522 dwelling units and more than 10 million square feet of non-residential development over the next 30 years.

Notably, this estimate does not include the approximately 4,000 additional housing units proposed at the Fairview Developmental Center, or the density bonus that state law allows, meaning the total potential housing capacity associated with current planning efforts would be substantially higher. Between Measure K and FDC, there could be more than 60,000 new residents added to the city.

This project has changed so many times that I feel like I've been watching a shell game, with a dried pea hidden under a walnut shell and the pieces constantly being rearranged before anyone can keep track of them.

🎤 PUBLIC COMMENTS:  This is the time to speak up! YOU get THREE FREE minutes to comment on ANYTHING that is not on the agenda at the beginning of the meeting. There will also be a public comment period for each Agenda item, including the Measure K and Housing Element changes.