The Costa Mesa City Council seems ready to fight to protect the residents from a potential buyer who would be looking to build new homes, a strip mall, or an “L.A. Live-south” on the fairgrounds. However, unless they can somehow find a way to lock in the zoning as it is now forever or require a vote of the people to change the zoning, a future council will be able to still change the zoning to commercial or residential and build, build, build!
Ironically, this could actually BENEFIT the new Beazley/Ellis non-profit board by driving the purchase price down, down, down (The state’s estimate of “$96 million to $180 million” is a joke… if it were zoned residential or commercial it would be $300 million easily). They snap it up for pennies on the dollar, claiming to want to “save the fair,” then play the waiting game. They then run and finance stealth campaigns of three council candidates who are willing to change the zoning… then it’s PAYDAY!! That’s why the state wants a piece of the action for future development as part of the sale agreement. The state knows how this game is played and they want a pay off in the future. So the Beazley/Ellis board cashes in, the state makes a little on the back end… and the residents take it in the back end.
It’s like a ticking time bomb.
Come to the Costa Mesa City Council meeting TONIGHT at 6:00 p.m. and speak out.
Thank goodness the Council and the people of Costa Mesa aren’t as uninformed as Beazley & his gang had hoped. The Council not only supported a Specific Plan ensuring on-going use of the fairgrounds as it is today (including the much embattled equestrian center) but is pursuing putting long term lock down of fairground use on an upcoming ballot. We all KNOW the game plan Beazley, Ellis, & co. aer playing and it’s not going to work. The residents of OC aren’t going to lay down and sacrifice our heritage and way of life on some trumped up idea we are helping the State (a sale of the fairgrounds – particularly if successful in locking in use, would be highly undervalued and a literal “poop in the ocean” against the State deficit) and we sure aren’t going to help line the pockets of these land swindlers. It’s time the rest of the Fair Board grows a SPINE and stand up to Beazley and Ellis. OC UnFair Board Meeting THIS THURSDAY at 10:00 – show up and let them know…maybe our next step is boycotting their homes.