Commission’s denial of home ownership project reveals cracks in Costa Mesa’s zoning

In Costa Mesa, where 60% of the populace are renters and home prices make purchases prohibitive, city leaders have repeatedly expressed a desire to see more home ownership projects. But at what cost?

That issue came to a head this week as the city’s planning commission considered a proposal for Victoria Place, a 40-unit condominium complex at 220 Victoria St., a 1.77-acre commercial lot situated just west of Newport Boulevard.

A hearing Monday followed an August 2024 screening by the City Council, during which officials pressed for more common areas, open space and better landscaping but had no qualms about the project’s density or location.

An aerial map showing a commercial area where developers are seeking a special overlay to build Victoria Place, a condo complex taller and more dense than Costa Mesa’s conventional zoning allows.

(Screenshot by Sara Cardine)

Put forth by Newport Beach-based WMC, LLC., the proposal features 18 duplexes and four detached residences, each comprising roughly 2,700 square feet in three stories with a ground-floor workspace, two-car garage, balcony and rooftop deck at a maximum height of 39 feet, 6 inches.

The property lies close enough to Newport Boulevard to qualify for rezoning under Measure K, a 2022 voter-backed initiative that makes allowances for high-density residences near certain commercial and industrial corridors. Because the requisite rezoning has not been completed, the developers of Victoria Place, with help from city planners, have had to get creative.

The project was pitched to commissioners for inclusion in a residential incentive overlay district created in 2016 to allow for the redevelopment of 14 identified commercial properties along Newport and Harbor boulevards for high-density residential uses.

None of the property owners took advantage of the designation and, two years later, city leaders reduced eligibility to just four sites. Victoria Place seeks designation as a fifth parcel and, if built, would be the first site developed under the overlay’s more permissive building standards.

A 40-unit condo complex proposed for 220 Victoria St. falls within an area that, under Costa Mesa’s Measure K, could be rezoned for higher density.

(Screenshot by Sara Cardine)

However, applicants came to Monday’s hearing asking for even more concessions than the overlay allows, namely a reduction in side and rear setbacks, garages and on-site parking stalls narrower by 6 inches, less off-street parking and a reduction in required common open space.

“We feel that Costa Mesa’s need for this type of housing is pretty clear. And [this] offers a thoughtful and well-designed response to that need,” Tony Weeda, managing partner of WMC, LLC. told commissioners.

He explained architects incorporated a barbecue and play area into the site plans, along with a flexible-use space that can be used for events and as a fire lane. The gated complex would allow children to play safely on the property. Architect Richard Finkel said the city encouraged the applicants to fit as much housing as the overlay allowed.

Commissioners, however, were not convinced the multiplicity of concessions were appropriate for the space and expressed concerns about the traffic vehicles and pedestrians would face so close to Newport Boulevard. They further lamented the city’s delay in rezoning Measure K properties.

A landscaped peninsula proposed for a 40-unit housing development at 220 Victoria St. is a concession made by applicant WMC Partners after a Costa Mesa City Council screening last August.

(Screenshot by Sara Cardine)

“We still don’t have a cohesive plan for what we expect from our Measure K sites,” said Commissioner David Martinez. “Now, we get stuck in this weird situation where we’re applying something for the very first time and trying to figure out what any of it means — it just sucks.”

Commissioner Rob Dickson said it would be unfair to hold an applicant hostage because the city couldn’t figure out how to zone a project, and pointed out the council already ostensibly approved the concept last August.

“If this was the first impression of the project before us, I would be 100% absolutely not; it’s just too outside the scope,” he said. “However, this has been going on for a while, and it seems to be something the council asked for.”

Commissioners opposed recommending the project in a 5-2 vote, with Dickson and Commissioner Angely Andrade Vallarta opposed. It will move on to the City Council for its consideration.