ATTACHMENT 4
Friday, February 6th, 2026
Planning Commission
Economic & Development Services Department
City of Costa Mesa
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Re: Request to Include [2821 Bristol Street / APN 418-181-11] as a Housing Element Site in the Next General Plan Amendment
Dear Economic & Development Services Department Staff and Honorable Planning Commissioners, I am writing to formally request that the parcel located at 2821 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa,. CA 92626 Assessor’s Parcel Number 418-181-11, be evaluated and included as a Housing Element site in the City of Costa Mesa’s next General Plan Amendment.
The inclusion of this site as a Housing Element site would allow us to deliver new housing units for the community. The subject parcel is well-situated to advance the City’s housing objectives while aligning with Costa Mesa’s broader planning goals. Its location, surrounding land use context, access to public transportation, major highways, proximity to employment centers and services, and ability to support residential development make it a strong candidate for inclusion in the City’s Housing Element site inventory.
I respectfully request that City staff incorporate this parcel as a Housing Element site in the upcoming General Plan Amendment and provide guidance on any additional information required to support its consideration. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with staff or present additional analysis regarding the site’s suitability.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and continued efforts to thoughtfully plan for Costa Mesa’s future. I appreciate the City’s collaborative approach and look forward to working constructively with staff and the Planning Commission.
Sincerely,
McQuin & Thomas Cole Baron
Partners, Pack Baron Companies
2292 North Batavia Ste C
Orange, CA 92865
714-323-7547
[email protected]
[email protected]
inm 910
February 10, 2026
City of Costa Mesa
Michelle Halligan, Senior Planner
Economic & Development Services Dept
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Re: Subject 424-241-11, 610 W. 18'h St. Costa Mesa Dear Michelle Halligan,
The Costa Mesa Women's Club received a letter from you informing us that our Property has been identified as an Opportunity Site in the Housing Element Sites Inventory. We had no previous notification and were surprised, and confused, as to why our property was considered as a site that could be developed as residential or mixed-use projects.
Based on the map of the Opportunity Sites, the Women's Club is the only property affected in the neighborhood block that we are located in. On Monday, Feb. 9'h, we attended the Costa Mesa Planning Commission Public Hearing to get a better understanding of this situation. It is extremely hard to vision high density housing being viable at this location.
Our organization has been around since 1910. We have owned this property for more than 75 years. We are a non-profit organization and have been honored by the City of Costa Mesa numerous times by the City of Costa Mesa, most recently in 2025. We provide resources for other Costa Mesa Non-Profits, including Women's Journey Foundation, other service organizations within Costa Mesa and most importantly to the local community. We have over 100 members who passionately believe in the mission of our Women's Club.
We respectfully request that our property be removed from the Housing Element Inventory list. Please send us a written confirmation that you have received this letter.
Women's Club contact regarding this matter is: Sandra Scheafer, 3327 California St, Costa Mesa 92626 Phone 714 267-2724 Email [email protected]. You may also call President Gay Royer, 949-887-5992.
Sincerely,
Sandra Scheafer, Director
Costa Mesa Women's Club
www.coxcastle.com Los Angeles | Orange County | San Francisco Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP
3121 Michelson Drive, Suite 200 C
I r v i n e, C a l i f o r n i a 9 2 6 1 2 - 5 6 7 8 P: 949.260.4600 F: 949.260.4699
Tim Paone
949.260.4655
[email protected]
January 30, 2026
Mayor John Stephens
Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez
Council Member Jeff Pettis
Council Member Andrea Marr
Council Member Loren Gameros
Council Member Mike Buley
Council Member Arlis Reynolds
c/o Carrie Tai
Director of Economic and Development Services
City of Costa Mesa
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Sent by Email to: [email protected]
Re: CJS Properties in Housing Element
Mayor Stephens and Members of the City Council:
As you know, C.J. Segerstrom & Sons (“CJS”) has deep roots in the City of Costa Mesa. The City and CJS not only have significantly benefited from each other’s continued success, but also have a demonstrated history of cooperation to further that success. It was with that cooperative spirit that CJS agreed to the City’s request that fourteen properties owned by CJS (the “CJS Properties”) be identified “Housing Element sites” with mixed-use overlays as part of the City’s Housing Element update process. CJS’s cooperation relied on the City’s assurance that these overlays would not jeopardize existing zoning designations, but instead would give CJS the option to pursue residential uses if and when consistent with CJS’s business planning. Standing alone, the Housing Element as adopted by the City Council in 2022 reflected that assurance.
Through no fault of the City, however, changing circumstances have lessened that assurance.
Since 2022, new State housing laws have continued to proliferate, with the prospect of more to come. Both the City and the State’s Department of Housing and Community Development (“HCD”) have had to adapt not only to evolving State housing laws, but also to court decisions interpreting those laws, often with unexpected results. Concurrently, the City has been working to reconcile the various implications of Measure Y, Measure K, the “Neighborhoods Where We Mayor Stephens and Council Members
January 30, 2026
All Belong” program, planning for the Fairview Developmental Center, and HCD’s rezoning requirements. As a result, the risk of “unintended consequences” has become significant.
Unlike many landowners, CJS is neither in a hurry to develop its properties nor, at this time, focused upon residential development of the CJS Properties. To the contrary, the common reputational and economic interests of CJS and the City are to a significant degree tied to CJS’s thoughtfully planned and highly successful commercial development. While these shared interests do not preclude residential development in the future, CJS is not ready to commit the CJS Properties to residential development at this time, whether directly or inadvertently.
As we have communicated since before the holidays, it has become clear that sooner or later CJS will need to request the removal of the CJS Properties from the Housing Element. Therefore, CJS is formally requesting the City to take all actions necessary to remove the CJS Properties from the Housing Element.
Please reach out to either me or Justin McCusker if you have any questions or if there are further steps which CJS must take to facilitate the near-term removal of the CJS Properties from the City’s updated Housing Element.
Thank you.
COX, CASTLE & NICHOLSON LLP
By: Tim Paone
Partner
cc: Costa Mesa City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly
Costa Mesa Planning Commissioners
HE Site No. CJS Site ID
134 Harbor Associates
136 Harbor Associates
137 Home Ranch
138 Home Ranch
198 Home Ranch
139 Town Center
140 Town Center
HE Site No. CJS Site ID
141 Town Center
205 Town Center
145 South Coast Plaza
146 South Coast Plaza
147 South Coast Plaza
203 US Post Office
204 US Post Office