Costa Mesa officials are expressing concern that plans for California to build an emergency operations center on a portion of the state-owned Fairview Development Center—a now-shuttered hospital for the developmentally disabled—may impede the city’s plans for building housing at the location.
Officials responded with a letter in April to the state’s plans to use portions of the site to develop an emergency operations center that would function as a hub for 11 counties.
The proposed new center would replace Southern California’s temporary one in Los Alamitos. The only other such center is located in the city of Mather, covering Northern California.
Once built, it would be operated by California’s Office of Emergency Services, which helps the state plan for and provide resources in the event of an emergency, such as winter storms and fire disasters.
The new facility would have 35,000 square feet for offices and training rooms, and a 20,000 square-foot warehouse for vehicles and equipment. Plans also include a 100-foot communications tower with a 20-foot antenna and a helipad, both of which have raised concerns by Costa Mesa officials.
The city’s Director of Economic and Development Services Jennifer Le said some elements of the plan don’t address how they might affect future and current residential development in the area.
“The details regarding the project scope … are very limited and presents a challenge for the City and the community members to provide meaningful feedback regarding potential environmental concerns,” Le said in an April 17 letter to the California Department of General Services, which acts as the state’s real estate division for the Office of Emergency Services and other state agencies.
The site has already been identified by city officials for up to 2,300 housing units, which the city zoned for as part of their state-mandated affordable housing plan.
Le said in her letter that “coordination between the City and the State is critical,” to ensure a well-planned residential community at the site, where local and state leaders share mutual interests.
Requests Le made in her letter include more specifics of potential environmental impacts the center would create, such as those to air quality and noise, water management, and waste disposal.
She additionally requested day-to-day operational plans, details on how the center would function in times of emergency, and information related to any possible roadway or intersection changes at the site.
Relocating the helipad was also suggested by Le, citing concerns over landing and clearance zones limiting where residential developments could be built. Le suggested John Wayne Airport, the Orange County Fairgrounds, or the Costa Mesa Police Department as alternatives.
“The proposed helipad at the site poses a significant constraint to the potential development of housing due to its various landing and clearance zones,” the letter reads.
Le also expressed concern about the planned communications tower.
“Such an installation poses significant visual impacts to the surrounding residential community,” she wrote. “At minimum, the City requests an alternative for a reduced height, alternative off-site location, or an on-site location away from residential communities.”
Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens told The Epoch Times that the state’s plan likely won’t jeopardize proposed housing at the site.
“There was some concern over whether they’re going to include a helipad and whether that would have an effect on how many units we could build … We’re speaking amicably to [state officials] so I’m not terribly concerned about it,” he said.
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine) echoed some of the city’s concerns also in a letter to the Department of General Services, citing issues with the helipad “creating incompatibility with future housing,” she wrote.
“The proposed helipad and setback requirements are resulting in expansion of acreage for the project site and creating incompatibility with future housing on the … property,” her letter reads.
She also agreed the communications tower should be elsewhere.
“The proposed [radio] tower should be located in an area on the property farthest from adjoining parcels,” she said.
Petrie-Norris sponsored Assembly Bill 188, which passed the California Assembly in 2021, securing a provision in the state’s budget allowing Costa Mesa and the Department of General Services to have some say in the future of the site.
