Eerie Show Survives Own Scare

Costa Mesa has backed away from an order that would have ended a neighborhood Halloween tradition.

City officials decided last week that they would not require homeowners Colleen Hanson and Dale Parker to tear down three old sheds they use to store the Halloween props displayed on their lawn on East Wilson Street.

The couple said that without the sheds, they would be unable to create the ghoulish displays that attract thousands to their neighborhood each year. Their props include 70 life-size figures, a fake bar, toilets and a coffin that talks.

“We decided it would not be the best use of taxpayer money to go after these sheds that are in pretty good shape,” said city building inspector Rick Brown.

At the display this year, the couple asked supporters to sign a petition, which now has hundreds of names. That put the city on the defensive.

“We’re not anti-Halloween. It was an issue of the city code,” Brown said.

The sheds total about 730 square feet. The Hanson-Parker home, which is 1,200 square feet, is not big enough to store all the holiday items, the couple said.

In an order issued earlier this year, the city told Hanson and Parker that they would have to tear down the sheds to comply with city code. The code requires structures taller than 6 1/2 feet to be at least 20 feet from the front property line and 10 feet from the side property line. The Hanson-Parker’s sheds, however, are about a foot from the side property line.

Brown said the city would have to spend a significant amount of time and money to prove that the sheds were built in violation of the code. The sheds were built 36 years ago, which was probably before the code went into effect.

Brown said the city needs to focus more on dilapidated buildings, adding that the sheds meet safety requirements.

The night of the city’s decision, supporters hugged Hanson and Parker in the shadows of the ghouls and witches. The couple put up a “Thank you” sign and are already planning new tricks and treats for next Halloween.

‘We’re thrilled,” Hanson said. “For us, Halloween has been saved.”