Council set to consider zoning and site-list changes Sept. 1
Facing action from state officials, Costa Mesa leaders will consider revisions to the city’s housing element at a City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The housing element sets where the city must plan to accommodate 11,760 homes during the current planning cycle and lays out the rezoning steps necessary to meet state requirements.
What the draft changes would do
City staff say the proposed updates to Costa Mesa’s general plan would:
- Expand the list of potential housing opportunity sites by adding 94 new areas;
- Increase the capacity of those additions to roughly 6,978 homes;
- Remove more than two dozen previously listed sites that no longer meet criteria for redevelopment, either because of limited developer interest or insufficient capacity for lower-income housing.
The changes were made in response to feedback from the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), which reviewed Costa Mesa’s previously submitted housing element and identified gaps the city needed to address.
HCD said the revised element would meet the “statutory requirements” of state housing law, provided the city completes the rezoning of remaining sites.
Rezoning still required, including Fairview site
HCD’s conditional sign-off, communicated in a letter dated Aug. 21, stops short of final certification. The letter indicates the city must still carry out rezoning on the remaining identified parcels before the plan can be certified. Among those remaining sites is the Fairview Developmental Center, a location HCD specifically noted for rezoning completion.
Why this matters locally
Under California’s housing element law, cities must update their housing plans every eight years to identify areas suitable for new housing and create the zoning framework that allows developers to build. The sixth cycle, covering 2021 through 2029, requires jurisdictions across the state to collectively plan for about 2.5 million homes. Costa Mesa’s required share for the cycle is 11,760 units, with 40% of that total targeted to serve low- or very low-income households.
It is important to note that cities are responsible for planning and zoning, not for building the units themselves. The housing element identifies where and how housing can be placed so developers may propose projects consistent with those approvals.
Legal backdrop and local implications
The proposed revisions come amid a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta in July against Costa Mesa and four other cities for failing to adopt housing plans that satisfy their regional housing needs. Costa Mesa initially submitted a housing element in 2022, but HCD rejected that version in 2023, saying the city had not finished required rezoning for previously identified sites.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Costa Mesa target (2021–2029) | 11,760 homes |
| New areas added in draft | 94 sites (~6,978 homes) |
| Affordable share required | 40% low/very-low income |
City Council action on Sept. 1 will determine whether the proposed revisions move forward to rezoning steps required for final certification. If the council adopts the changes and completes the necessary rezoning, HCD indicated the element could satisfy state law. That outcome would remove a key deficiency cited by the state and could affect the outcome of ongoing legal challenges.
Residents and local stakeholders can expect debate on site selections, the balance of market-rate versus lower-income capacity, and the timeline for rezoning specific properties as the council considers the staff recommendations. Any rezoning decisions could alter land-use rules across multiple neighborhoods and influence the types and locations of housing projects developers may propose in the coming years.
