O.C. Fair Board puts proposed master site plan in neutral for further study

Orange County Fair Board members held off on advancing a controversial draft master site plan for the fairgrounds property in Costa Mesa, saying they want more time to review and study the concept.

The decision to pull in the reins until next month followed an almost eight-hour meeting Thursday featuring passionate testimony from supporters of the Orange County Fairgrounds Equestrian Center, which the draft plan proposed to demolish.

“I don’t think we should rush,” said board member Gerardo Mouet. “The whole thing about a master plan is, it’s going to be with us for a while.”

The 10-year master site plan concept presented to the board is the result of more than a year of work by OC Fair & Event Center staff and a team of consultants. The process included several meetings to discuss what administrators, residents and others envisioned for the 150-acre, state-owned fairgrounds.

However, some of those at Thursday’s meeting objected to the planning process and said they felt the community wasn’t given sufficient opportunity to weigh in.

Others criticized the scheduling of the hearing, which started at 9 a.m. — the Fair Board’s typical meeting time.

“It’s almost like you don’t want input from the public, and I sincerely hope that’s not the case,” said Costa Mesa resident Anna Vrska.

Local activist Reggie Mundekis presented the board with a trash bag containing what she said was public input that had been discarded in developing the master site plan.

Speakers took issue with several projects in the plan, including potentially building a parking garage at the corner of Fairview Road and Arlington Drive and relocating the main entryway to the property on Fair Drive.

Others objected to the estimated price tag for the plan, which the draft pegged at $169 million, and questioned how its seven proposed development phases would affect the surrounding community.

“We want to work with you so that any of your problems do not become our problems,” said Costa Mesa Mayor Sandy Genis.

Most of those at Thursday’s meeting, however, were there to object to the proposed razing of the equestrian center, which sits on about 7.5 acres on the northeast corner of the fairgrounds near the intersection of Arlington Drive and Newport Boulevard.

As envisioned in the draft master site plan, the center’s barns and offices would be demolished and replaced with carnival parking and storage, restrooms, showers and “multipurpose ground space.”

Equestrians and their supporters said they’ve been an important part of the fairgrounds throughout its history and played a vital role in blocking the sale of the property several years ago.

Riding, caring for and interacting with horses, speakers said, is a transformative experience that teaches important life skills such as responsibility, trust and self-control and provides therapeutic benefits to everyone, from veterans to those struggling with anxiety or low self-esteem.

“It is a priceless asset that can never be replaced,” said Theresa Sears, a member of the Fair & Event Center’s Equestrian Center Task Force.

While the draft master site plan designates space that could support equine programs and events, it would be about 1.5 acres — a downsizing that equestrians found unacceptable.

“This is not integration of which we have talked about,” said Fair Board member Ashleigh Aitken. “This is decimation.”

Board members said they would like a detailed run-down of the equestrian center’s activities, programs and finances for when they next discuss the master site plan in May.

Some said they think it also would be prudent to develop a clear picture of how much money the Fair & Event Center could reasonably afford to spend on projects like those in the draft concept.

“Plans change depending on what money you have to spend, and that’s something I think we need to really firmly establish with this board, with the community and all the stakeholders here. How much debt are we willing to take on?” said board member Stan Tkaczyk. “And once we have that number, then I think we can responsibly look at these other things and start making adjustments.”

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