5 Executive Summary
Facilities Master Plan
Attachment 6
6 City of Costa Mesa | Facilities Master Plan
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Costa Mesa’s facilities are fundamental to delivering public services, supporting employees, protecting public safety, and serving the community. Many of these facilities, however, were built decades ago and are beginning to show the effects of age, changing operational needs, and evolving community expectations. As the City continues to grow, it faces an important opportunity: to strategically reinvest in its civic assets in a way that improves service delivery, strengthens operational resilience, and ensures responsible stewardship of public resources.
The Facilities Master Plan provides a comprehensive, long- term roadmap to help the City make those decisions. Rather than focusing solely on building conditions, the plan examines how facilities support City operations, employees, and
residents while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, accessibility, and long-term value. The study evaluated approximately 316,000 square feet across 18 City-owned
and leased facilities through facility condition assessments, operational analyses, stakeholder engagement, demographic and staffing projections, and financial modeling. Together, these analyses establish a data-driven framework for prioritizing investments over the next twenty years.
The assessment found that Costa Mesa’s facility portfolio remains a valuable public asset, but one that requires proactive investment. About 80 percent of the City’s facility square footage is more than 30 years old, administrative buildings are approaching capacity, emergency operations require
modernization, and many work environments no longer support today’s methods of service delivery. At the same time, the City has opportunities to improve equitable access to services, particularly in Westside neighborhoods, enhance sustainability, and create more welcoming and efficient public spaces.
BACKGROUND & CONTEXT
KEY FINDINGS
7 RECOMMENDATIONS
IMPLEMENTATION
The plan prioritizes addressing deferred maintenance across the City’s facility portfolio before deficiencies become more costly. It also expands community access and public safety services through targeted investments on the Westside, including redevelopment of the existing Police Substation into a modern multi-service facility. In addition, Fire Department facilities require renovations and improvements to better meet modern operational space needs. Other priority improvements include strengthening emergency preparedness through development of a dedicated Emergency Operations Center and modernizing the Corporation Yard to support future fleet and operational needs. Sustainability is integrated throughout these recommendations by incorporating energy-efficient building systems, electric vehicle infrastructure, and resilient facility design into future capital improvements.
Beyond the most critical facility improvement needs, the plan also explores longer-term space solutions and future planning opportunities. These include modernizing City Hall to improve customer experience and workplace efficiency, creating a centralized public service center on the first floor, introducing consistent workplace standards throughout administrative offices, and renovating facilities to better accommodate future organizational growth. Additional opportunities include improving Police operations by repurposing the underutilized helipad, replacing the Historic Society Building with expanded multi-use City space, and evaluating long-term ownership strategies for the Balearic Community Center.
Importantly, the plan is designed to be implementable. Rather than recommending a series of independent projects, it establishes a phased twenty-year investment strategy that coordinates maintenance, renovations, and new construction in a logical sequence aligned with operational priorities and financial capacity. Approximately two-thirds of the City’s portfolio remains in service through continued maintenance, while targeted renovations and selective new construction address the most significant service and facility gaps. Financial modeling provides a realistic understanding of both capital and ongoing operating costs, enabling the City to make informed funding decisions over time.
Ultimately, this Facilities Master Plan is about more than buildings. It is a strategy for strengthening how Costa Mesa serves its community. By aligning facility investments with service delivery, operational performance, financial sustainability, and community priorities, the City is positioned to make thoughtful, transparent decisions that preserve public assets, improve the resident experience, and create resilient civic facilities that will continue serving Costa Mesa for decades to come. introducing
ilities to bett
consistent workplace standards throughout administrative offices, accommodate future organizational growth. Additional opportunit ter on the first floor, introducing
, and renovating facilities to better
ties include improving Police operat
izational growth. Additional opport
accommodate future organizational growth. A
by repurposing the underutilized helipad, rep
ties include improving Police operat
Deferred Maintenance and Lifecycle Renewal Cost Estimates (Replacement Reserve) Facility (year built) 2025 2026-2030 2031-2035 2036-2040 2041-2045 Total Balearic Community Center (1965) 43,000 228,000 722,000 256,000 112,000 1,362,000 Bridge Shelter (1972) 161,000 546,000 198,000 1,107,000 194,000 2,207,000 City Hall (1965) 92,000 4,480,000 3,995,000 471,600 6,974,000 16,012,600 Communications Center (1981) 189,000 211,000 364,000 603,000 65,000 1,432,000 Corp Yard Buildings (1989) 178,000 1,427,000 1,930,000 2,730,000 264,000 6,529,000 Costa Mesa Tennis Center (1962) 0 72,000 480,000 151,000 367,000 1,070,000 Downtown Recreation Center (2001) 62,000 955,000 1,140,000 341,000 2,227,000 4,725,000 Fire Station #1 (2018) 48,000 250,000 247,000 800,000 256,000 1,601,000 Fire Station #3 (1979) 557,000 739,000 145,000 186,000 375,000 2,002,000 Fire Station #4 (1967) 352,000 1,015,000 166,000 417,000 451,000 2,401,000 Fire Station #5 (1988) 189,000 433,000 1,219,000 354,000 352,000 2,547,000 Fire Station #6 (1992) 185,000 403,000 950,000 527,000 386,000 2,450,000 Historical Society Building (1980) 36,000 570,000 56,000 324,000 122,000 1,108,000 Mesa Verde Library (1965) 69,000 120,000 828,000 428,000 115,000 1,560,000 Police Facility & Helipad (1967) 26,000 1,642,000 2,450,000 4,753,000 1,452,000 10,323,000 Police Substation (1958) 585,000 416,000 183,000 386,000 76,000 1,646,000 Senior Center (1992) 486,000 1,633,000 1,337,000 796,000 1,392,000 5,643,000 Grand Total 3,257,000 15,140,000 16,410,000 14,630,600 15,180,000 64,618,600 New Construction/Renovation Cost Estimates
Escalated Cost
(Based on Implementation Timeline)
Communications Buidling
Renovate Communications Building 4,000,000 4,000,000
Fire Station
Replace FS#2 16,500,000 16,500,000
Renovate FS#3 2,730,000 3,558,000
Renovate FS#5 2,730,000 4,164,000
Renovate FS#6 3,864,000 5,448,000
Replace FS#4 8,400,000 10,131,000
Westside Substation
Demolish Existing Substation and
Construction New City Facility
10,545,678 14,233,000
Tennis Center
Replace 1,017,000 1,017,000
Total 49,786,678 59,051,000
Facilities 2025 Cost