September 1st 2024: In the next Costa Mesa City Council
meeting the council will review hosing plans for the former TBN Christian Television Studio and offices on Bear Street right next to the 405 freeway. The current proposal is for 146 new homes on the 6.11 acre lot with a mixture of one to four bedroom units. The plan includes 80 guest parking spaces with over half the land set aside as common open space or rear yards and private areas.
The former TBN studios lot is interesting because its a big prime lot right next to the busy 405 freeway and close to South Coast Metro. The lot would seem prime space for commercial such as hotel retail or office space but for a few things;
Bear Street isn’t a major street and is already impacted by South Coast Plaza right across the freeway. Another major reason not to use the space for commercial is the decline of retail and office space since the pandemic. But even with those reasons a bigger reason is the lack of affordable housing in Costa Mesa, Orange County and, the wider California. The State Mandate to increase the available housing in all cities has changed the way many cities think about development.
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Opinion: The three story townhouses appearing around Costa Mesa may eventually bring new home prices down in the city but they are still too high for most people to afford. The city like all cities needs to allow higher density apartments in former commercial spaces and, around single family housing neighborhoods which will get a huge amount of push back.
Cities allowing smaller units on large housing lots is a plus because these can be rented out but it isn’t a solution. The gap between the haves and the have nots is getting wider and wider without solving this issue on housing bad times could be ahead. If you are doing well congratulations but if you live in a nice big house you still need people to be live locally and work in the restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations to serve you.
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