State Official Warn Costa Mesa on Fairgrounds Restrictions
Approving a specific plan could affect the property’s commercial value, according to official.
By ELLYN PAK
The Orange County Register
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COSTA MESA – A state official has warned city leaders that “the State will consider whatever options may be available to preserve the Fairgrounds value” if the city adopts a specific plan that diminishes the up-for-sale site’s commercial value.
Teresa Bierer, acting deputy director of the state Department of General Services’ Real Estate Services Division, wrote in a letter to the mayor and City Council that adopting a specific plan would “severely restrict the future land uses available to potential buyers.”
Last week, the City Council directed its staffers to create a specific plan that could place a tighter framework on the 150-acre property. The plan would emphasize the city’s designation of the property as fairgrounds and further restrict what a new owner could do with the site.
“Here’s the bottom line: As I said before, I’m increasingly skeptical that they’re looking out for our best interest and the interest of the taxpayer,” said Mayor Allan Mansoor.
“We want guarantees from the state or whoever buys the property that not only the fair remains but the Marketplace and the Equestrian Center and other various types of uses remain in Orange County and the fairgrounds,” he added.
The city’s general plan designates the property as fairgrounds, and a specific plan would provide further information about the property, potentially spelling out the amount of building square footage and parking spaces allowed, duration of the fair and other development standards.
“It’s not zoned (for commercial use),” Mansoor said. “We want to make it clear not to change the zoning. We feel there’s an important need to move forward with a specific plan.”
The cash-strapped state officially put the property on the auction block earlier this month. The property is being sold as-is, meaning the long-term preservation of the fairgrounds’ uses at the site is not a condition of sale.
The state has previously valued the site at anywhere from $96 million to $180 million, though those estimates were based on various zoning designations. The property could be appraised much lower since it is zoned by the city for its use as a fairground.
Mansoor has asked city staff to expedite its research into whether the city’s zoning of the property as fairgrounds could be locked in permanently by voters next year and bring it back to the City Council for a vote.
It could take the city between four to six months to draw up a specific plan, according to the city. The state hopes to have a contract in place to sell the property by April and complete the sale by the fall of 2010.
Contact the writer: 949-553-2936 or epak@ocregister.com
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