Segerstrom Office Complex : Developer Confident of Project’s Approval

An official of the development firm for the One South Coast Place office complex planned for Costa Mesa said Monday that he believes revised environmental documents will satisfy a court challenge to the C.J. Segerstrom & Sons project.

Construction on the twin-tower project was halted earlier this month after a Superior Court judge ruled that it had not complied with environmental and zoning laws.

Since the Sept. 4 ruling by Superior Court Judge Tully H. Seymour, city officials and the developer have been working to supply more information on its environmental impact. But homeowners who oppose the project have predicted that Segerstrom officials may not be able to satisfy the court and gain permission to continue the project.

At a press conference Monday, company spokesman Chase McLaughlin said he expects that the judge’s final decision will be favorable for the project on South Coast Drive, bounded by Harbor Boulevard, Fairview Road and the San Diego Freeway.

McLaughlin, managing partner of the division that is developing One South Coast Place, described the deficiencies found by the court as “temporary.”

Improvements Noted

McLaughlin and other company officials also noted that the firm is providing $6.5 million in city and county traffic improvements in the project.

The improvements include: $1.3 million for the widening of South Coast Drive; $440,000 for improving the intersection of South Coast Drive and Harbor Boulevard; $370,000 for two right-turn pockets at the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Gisler Street; $273,000 for a northbound right-turn pocket lane on Harbor Boulevard at South Coast Drive; $35,000 for traffic signal improvements at the corner of Fairview Road and South Coast Drive, and $1 million in developer fees paid for construction of the planned San Joaquin Hills Freeway.

The homeowners group, Costa Mesa Residents for Responsible Growth, has argued that One South Coast Place would be too great a concentration of offices for the area and would worsen traffic congestion in Costa Mesa. The group, formed three months ago to oppose the project, hailed Seymour’s ruling as a major victory.

The judge is expected to issue a final decision in October or November.

The project calls for two office towers, one 12 stories and the other 20 stories, on the 98-acre site. The complex would also include a parking garage, a child-care center and a 50,000-square-foot pavilion.