COSTA MESA : Condemned Homes Need New Location
About 35 condemned homes in Costa Mesa that the county had hoped to use for low-income housing may be demolished if officials cannot find a place to store them.
The fate of the houses could be decided Monday, when Anaheim city officials consider a county request to store the structures on a one-time waste-hauling site near Anaheim Stadium.
County officials had planned to start today on the task of relocating the houses, which are being removed to make way for a $25-million road widening project along a 1 1/2-mile strip of Victoria Street.
The houses were originally supposed to be relocated to a 15-acre parcel at the intersection of Grand and McFadden avenues in Santa Ana. But police concerns that the houses would provide a haven for criminals and vagrants quashed plans for the site, which is owned by the county.
As a result, the county turned to Anaheim for help. Officials from Anaheim and the county plan to inspect the lot near the stadium Monday.
If Anaheim rejects the proposal, “very likely the opportunity (to save the homes) will be lost,” said Rick Ekfer, who supervises new housing development at the county’s Environmental Management Agency.
If the county fails to secure the site at Anaheim Stadium, the county would still be able to save three or four homes, Ekfer added. Many of the rest could go to the general public.
People who want the homes, however, “would have to be able to move them on short order,” said Bill Morris, Costa Mesa’s community service director.
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