RESOLUTION NO. PC-2026-24
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA,
CALIFORNIA, RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPT AMENDMENTS TO THE SIXTH CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT (2021-2029) OF THE CITY'S GENERAL PLAN (PCTY-26-0030) TO ADD ADDITIONAL HOUSING ELEMENT SITES TO THE
SITES INVENTORY AND ASSOCIATED REVISIONS
THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA, CALIFORNIA, FINDS AND DECLARES AS FOLLOWS:
WHEREAS, the City of Costa Mesa is processing a focused amendment to the Housing Element of the City's General Plan (PCTY-26-0030) to identify and add additional Housing Element Opportunity Sites to the Housing Element Candidates Sites Inventory in order to achieve capacity sufficient to meet the Sixth Housing Element Cycle (2021-2029) Regional Housing Needs Allocation, following no net loss findings made by the City Council on March 17, 2026, and honor requests made by property owners to either be removed or added to the Housing Element Sites Inventory following the March 17, 2026 City Council public hearing as well as incorporate associated revisions; and WHEREAS, under California law, every city must adopt a general plan, which must include specified mandatory elements, and may include additional optional elements, in furtherance of State policy to provide a comprehensive, long-term plan for the physical development and use of property within that city's jurisdiction; and WHEREAS, the City of Costa Mesa was assigned an allocation of 11,760 housing units as its share of the regional housing needs assessment (RHNA for the Sixth Cycle (2021-2029) Housing Element; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Section 65350 et. seq., this Housing Element Update constitutes a General Plan Amendment; and WHEREAS, the City's Sixth Cycle (2021-2029) Housing Element was adopted by the Costa Mesa City Council on February 1, 2022, by Resolution No. 2022-06 and amendments adopted on November 15, 2022, by Resolution No. 2022-67, and was revised as recently as March 1, 2023, to incorporate non-substantive changes as directed by the City Council and again on March 17, 2026 by Resolution No. 2026-07 to remove 17 Housing Element Opportunity Sites and add two sites-both within the boundary of Resolution No. PC-2026-24 Page 1 of 404
ATTACHMENT 2
Measure K-to the Housing Element Candidates Sites Analysis at the request of the respective property owners; and
WHEREAS, on July 16, 2026, the Attorney General of California, filed a petition for writ of mandate and complaint For declarative and injunctive relief, ordering the City to adopt a compliant Housing Element and complete necessary rezoning of Housing Element Inventory sites within 120 days and to ensure that the City's Sixth Cycle (2021-2029) Housing Element meets the City's Regional Housing Needs Allocation goals, as determined by the California Department of Housing and Community Development; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission finds that the revision to the Housing Element of the General Plan, including identifying adequate sites to maintain capacity to meet RHNA, as well as the addition and removal of Housing Element Opportunity Sites- within the boundary of Measure K-to the Housing Element Candidate Sites Analysis at the request of the respective property owners, may significantly impact any agency or special district within or abutting the City of Costa Mesa and does constitute a major amendment to the General Plan within the meaning of Government Code Section 65352; and
WHEREAS, this amendment to the Housing Element is necessary to identify and add additional Housing Element Opportunity Sites to the Housing Element Candidates Sites Inventory in order to achieve capacity sufficient to meet the Sixth Housing Element Cycle (2021-2029) Regional Housing Needs Allocation, following no net loss findings made by the City on March 17, 2026, and honor requests made by property owners to either be removed or added to the Housing Element Sites Inventory; and WHEREAS, nonvacant sites in the City continue to be redeveloped for housing, Housing Element Sites have been analyzed for redevelopment potential, and therefore existing development is not presumed to impede additional residential development; and WHEREAS, a duly noticed public hearing was held by the Planning Commission on August 17,2026, with all persons having the opportunity to speak for and against the proposal; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15162, staff reviewed the previously adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration for the Sixth Cycle Housing Element and determined that a subsequent Resolution No. PC-2026-24 Page 2 of 404
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) or a Negative Declaration (ND) is not required for the update to the City of Costa Mesa Housing Element that would reduce development capacity, and the action to add/remove Housing Element sites falls within the capacity studied under this MND and MMRP; and
WHEREAS, on July 1, 2025, a new statutory CEQA exemption, Public Resources Code Section 2'l080.085(a) (adopted by SB 131) went into effect, providing a CEQA exemption for actions needed to implement Housing Elements, including implementation of Program 3A, which requires the City to continue to maintain an inventory of sites to meet RHNA; and
WHEREAS, the City's proposed amendments implement a schedule of actions contained in the approved Housing Element pursuant to Government Code Section 65583 and do not allow the construction of a distribution center, or oil and gas infrastructure, and are therefore are statutorily exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21 080.085(a), an therefore additional environmental review is not required for this amendment to the Housing Element; and
WHEREAS, the CEQA environmental determination for this project reflects the independent judgement of the City of Costa Mesa.
NOW, THEREFORE, based on the evidence in the record, the Planning Commission, in its independent judgment and after fully considering alternatives, testimony and evidence presented at the public hearing hereby, RECOMMENDS APPROVAL of the General Plan Amendments to the Housing Element of the City's General Plan incorporated herein as Exhibit A, and direct staff to incorporate minor revisions in response to the California Department of Housing and Community Development comments and the public review period, prior to City Council consideration and adoption.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Costa Mesa Planning Commission does hereby find and determine that adoption of this Resolution is expressly predicated upon the activity as described in the staff report, and compliance of all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if any section, division, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this resolution, or the document in the record in support of this resolution, are Resolution No. PC-2026-24 Page 3 of 404
for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this I 7th day of August, 2026.
Je arlan. Chair
Costa Mesa Planning Commission
Resolution No. PC-2026-24 Page 4 of 404
STATEOFCALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE )ss
CITY OF COSTA MESA )
1, Carrie Tai, Secretary to the Planning Commission of the City of Costa Mesa, do hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution No. PC-2026-24 was passed and adopted at a special meeting of the City of Costa Meisa Planning Commission held on August 17, 2026, by the following votes:
AYES: Harlan, Andrade, Klepack, Martinez, Rojas
NOES: Zich, Dickson
ABSENT: None
ABST AIN: None
rie cretary
Costa Mesa Planning Commission
Resolution No. PC-2026-24 Page 5 of 404
PLEASE NOTE, EXHIBIT A – HOUSING ELEMENT
2021-2029 CAN BE FOUND ONLINE WITH THE
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ON 8/17/2026.