From: HAUSER, JANET
To: GREEN, BRENDA; TERAN, STACY
Subject: FW: State Emergency Operations Center
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023 10:05:18 AM
FYI
Janet Hauser
Executive Assistant to Costa Mesa City Council
City of Costa Mesa
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Desk: 714-754-5107
Cell: 714-949-3693
[email protected]
Note: Using the “Reply All” option may inadvertently result in a Brown Act violation.
Costa Mesa is launching a new permit and license processing system called TESSA in August. TESSA will replace our existing system and all land use, building and business license applications currently in process will be transferred to the new system. To learn more about TESSA, visit our FAQ page at https://www.costamesaca.gov/tessa.
From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2023 7:45 PM
To: CITY COUNCIL <[email protected]>
Subject: State Emergency Operations Center
September 18, 2023
To City Council Members and City Clerk,
After reading – again! – the Environmental Impact Report on State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) proposed at Fairview Developmental Center (FDC), I still regret the impact the proposal would have on the Costa Mesa Community. Such changes undo the city’s informed housing challenges.
By reducing expansions to the State EOC as planned, the State can use FDC and/or other Orange County sites, with less impacted housing. The FDC site is needed for housing; to meet our state’s quota for Costa Nesa. We are “filled up.”
Carry on,
Corinne Stover
1224 Conway Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-432-7371
[email protected]
Corinne Stover
“Look for the helpers.”
Mr. Rogers
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From: [email protected]
To: STEPHENS, JOHN; REYNOLDS, ARLIS; MARR, ANDREA; HARLAN, JEFFREY; GAMEROS, LOREN; HARPER, DON;
CHAVEZ, MANUEL
Cc: CITY CLERK
Subject: New Business Item 3 - Update on State"s proposed Emergency Operations Center on Fairview Developmental Center
Date: Monday, September 18, 2023 11:35:29 PM
Attachments: 120 ft building.png
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members:
The Agenda Report you were provided by Staff doesn’t adequately cover the information contained in the draft Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) on the proposed State of California Emergency Operations Center at Fairview Developmental Center (“FDC”), so I hope you take the time to read it. I am providing you with my initial comments:
Emergency Operations Center to Serve Nearly 23 Million People in 11 Counties.
Here is a brief summary of the project: the Emergency Operations Center would be built on about 15 acres of FDC and would have an approximately 32,000 sq ft single-story office building, approximately 20,000 sq ft of warehouse space, a 120 ft communications tower (that’s 10 stories!) and a helipad, along with solar panel covered parking, battery storage, and generators. Construction would take about 37 months and would entail the use of excavators, bulldozers, scrapers, loaders, backhoes, cranes, forklifts, and tractors. Approximately 50 full-time employees would be at the site, however, it will be used for training and, in an emergency, the staffing would be ramped up considerably.
Major Impact on Urban Planning in Costa Mesa
.
We know from a letter from California Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris, that the original proposal was to build the project on nine acres. With the increase to 15 acres, I wonder how that will impact the Housing Element update that requires 11,700+ new residential units. The City intended to zone FDC so that a large portion of the 11,700+ units could be built there. With 15 fewer acres at FDC on which to build housing, that task has become much harder and will likely require higher densities (taller buildings) than originally projected. This also makes it difficult to support the City Council Goal of “Diversity, stabilize and increase housing to reflect community needs”. In addition, please note that the State selected prime acreage that is adjacent to the golf course and away from Harbor Boulevard.
Significant Impacts on the Environment.
While the Staff Report to the City Council repeats the State’s contention that the impacts are “less than significant,” and that mitigation measures would be required in certain areas, I feel some of those impacts are significant. Here are items that are worthy of your attention:
Why was Costa Mesa and FDC selected? The State reviewed other sites, including expansion of the current location in Los Alamitos, and a privately owned industrial building in Tustin. The Los Alamitos site cannot be expanded and the Tustin building has a long-term ground lease that would have to be broken. The report doesn’t list other sites that were considered. During the scoping meeting this March, the Orange County Fairgrounds was suggested by the public, but the State admits in the EIR that it did not consider that location. In addition, despite the proximity to the Tustin location that was considered, the State did not consider land surrounding the Marine Corps’ airbase in Tustin that would appear to satisfy the criteria listed in the EIR and would not require demolition of existing structures.
Aesthetics Would be Impacted by Orange and White 120 ft Tower That Would Include Red Lights. The 120 ft communications tower will consist of 100 ft of tubular steel connected to concrete foundations four ft in diameter and 15 ft deep. On top of the tower would be two 20 ft antennas. It would also have microwave equipment and four or more steady-burning red lights. It would be painted with seven alternating bands of aviation orange and white paint. None of the depictions of the tower in the draft EIR show the paint, lights, and additional equipment.
They often cut off the top of the tower, so these simulations aren’t accurate. There is no reference, such as a car or human, to represent the scale. See attached photos of what 120 ft looks like. The draft EIR tries to equate the tower with a tree, and while it will not completely obstruct views, it will be ugly from all angles. In addition, the vantage points selected in the draft EIR for viewing the project are not well selected. For example, no viewpoint from nearby apartments on Joann Street (only 771 ft away) or Harbor Boulevard was selected, and the viewpoint from Fairview Park was not from the hill on the northwest quadrant, but rather the lower lawn area. The view that could be construed to be from the golf course shows a romanticized field of flowers and only part of an unpainted tower, as it crops out the top of the tower (see “Vantage Point 5” attached hereto).
Noise and air pollution would occur. While only two annual flights of medium-sized helicopters are currently anticipated during normal operation (emergencies would require more), residents, especially those who live under and near those paths, will hear the noise of landing and takeoff. The flight path will be over the municipal golf course, along with residences on the Westside and those near the Mesa Verde Shopping Center. In addition to noise and air pollution from the construction of the project, there will also be pollution from the emergency generator. Mitigation steps will be taken, but winds will likely increase the particulate pollution and odors to residential neighborhoods. In addition, Costa Mesa is susceptible to air inversions, trapping layers of air pollution nearer to the ground, so additional air pollution from the project will impact those with respiratory diseases, such as asthma.
Site is Surrounded by Residential Areas
. There already exists a
neighborhood of affordable housing on nearby Joann Street (Census Tract 6059063808), whose residents are 80% people of color.
CalEnviroScreen 4.0 ranks this census tract at a pollution burden of 46%, which is remarkably high for a neighborhood so close to a municipal golf course and receiving the benefit of ocean breezes. Please note that this census tract is near to other census tracts with higher burdens, including Census Tract 6059063605, which has a pollution burden of 86%. The residences are older buildings, many of which do not have central heating and air conditioning or air filtration systems, so the residents who rely on open windows for ventilation will be subject to air pollution from the project.
Roadway and utility improvements would likely be required . The
project would require potential roadway and utility upgrades, primarily on Shelley Circle within FDC, but also Merrimac Way and Fair Drive.
There would also be a new roadway constructed to directly connect Shelley Circle to Pearl Way. The new roadway and utility improvements are assumed to disturb 1.9 miles of roadway length and up to 13.82 acres, with a total of 27,600 cubic yds of soil imported/exported for the improvements and generation of construction related emissions. These improvements would also impact the future design and planning of the community of mixed-used units on the remainder of FDC, as the extension of Shelly Circle would bisect one large plot of land.
Biological resources may be impacted. Prior to the start of grading and vegetation clearing on habitat on the site suitable for burrowing owls, white-tailed kite, and California horned lark, a focused survey would be conducted. As you may know, burrowing owls are listed in California as a species of concern, the white-tailed kite is a California Department of Fish & Wildlife (“CDFW”) Protected Species, and the California horned lark is on the CDFW watch list. They have been sighted in nearby Fairview Park (both on the east side and west side), Talbert Park, and on the former Banning Ranch property. Given the shyness of burrowing owls, and the lack of activity on FDC, it is possible the owls will be present during the survey. If the presence of burrowing owls, white-tailed kite or California horned lark are detected, then measures would have to be taken to ensure that project activities don’t cause the loss of a nest or death of a member of the species. No discussion about the impacts of the solar panels on migrating birds was contained in the draft EIR, only that viewers in public locations nearby would not experience substantial glare. In addition, the draft EIR states that the nearby golf course does not act as a wildlife movement corridor, but I will be requesting more information on this.
In addition, it appears that the State has omitted responses to some of the concerns that Staff raised in its scoping comment letter dated April 17, 2023.
Perhaps those requests need to be reiterated in the City’s comment letter to the draft EIR.
These are my initial comments. I have other concerns that will be addressed in a letter to the State. I hope that you will take the seriousness of the impacts on the residents of Costa Mesa and you will request that the State reconsider its selection of FDC as the site for this project.
Cynthia McDonald
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From: Kim Hendricks
To: CITY CLERK; [email protected]
Subject: Public Comments on OES Region EIR 9/19/23
Date: Monday, September 18, 2023 8:41:38 PM
Greetings,
Please do not ignore the "potentially significant" impacts to Costa Mesa with noise, traffic, air quality, This project would result in a cumulatively considerable net increase of pollutants, traffic, and noise and should not be allowed in Costa Mesa. The 3rd alternative for the project in Tustin off of Redhill Ave. seems to be a better location since the streets are and it is closer to the airport for possible transportation.
Costa Mesa needs help with attaining a better quality of life for residents and this project would not help that.
Thank you,
Kim Hendricks
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From: Wendy Leece
To: CITY CLERK; CITY COUNCIL; CITY COUNCIL
Cc: STEPHENS, JOHN; REYNOLDS, ARLIS; CHAVEZ, MANUEL; GAMEROS, LOREN; MARR, ANDREA; "Don Harper";
HARLAN, JEFFREY
Subject: State Emergency Operations Center
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2023 9:31:18 AM
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council,
Please study carefully the arguments against and information from Costa Mesa First mentioning the many impacts to our Costa Mesa quality of life if this project moves forward.
There are many unanswered questions. Why were not other more appropriate sites chosen?
Why does the State think we will always bend to its latest whim?
It reminds me of the time when Gov. Schwarzenegger thought it was a good idea to sell the OC Fairgrounds. Katrina, Allan Mansoor and I went with Allan Roeder twice to Sacramento to lobby DGS officials and then the Governor to please not sell the Fairgrounds. ( I had to sit in the Governor’s reception area because only 2 council members were allowed to meet with Arnold. LOL.)
We, the people of Costa Mesa, regardless of political party, ramped up a robust grassroots campaign and thanks be to God we prevailed. Sandy Genis and others collected petitions in a wheelbarrow and delivered it to the Governor.
We the citizens now expect you to go to Sacramento again and meet with officials and the Governor to stop this egregious project that will affect our Costa Mesa quality of life in many ways especially our air, noise, natural resources such as the burrowing owl, nearby (low income and high income) neighborhoods, Fairview Park, and the golf course.
And to top it all, an area where we could build more housing as ordered by the State is reduced!
Unfair on many counts!
Please fight like heck and make it a Council priority to oppose this project today!
Sincerely,
Wendy Leece
A proud Costa Mesa resident for 51 years
Wendy Leece
“The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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