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Commission receives staff report on safety element technical update; review scheduled next year
Summary
Planning staff briefed commissioners on a technical update to the Costa Mesa General Plan safety element — to integrate the local hazard mitigation plan, new CAL FIRE and FEMA maps and climate‑adaptation material — and the commission voted 7‑0 to receive and file the report and await a draft review early next year.
Planning staff on Sept. 8 told the Costa Mesa Planning Commission that a technical update to the city’s General Plan safety element is underway to incorporate recently revised hazard maps, the adopted local hazard mitigation plan and climate‑adaptation information.
Amber Gregg, project planner, said the update is not a full rewrite of the safety element but will add and align technical data required by state law, including 2024–2025 map updates from CAL FIRE (which introduced a very high fire hazard severity zone affecting parts of Costa Mesa) and FEMA flood‑map revisions. Gregg said staff intends to fold the hazard mitigation plan’s actions and climate‑adaptation recommendations into the safety element so the planning document reflects current risk data and maintains eligibility for hazard‑mitigation funding.
Why it matters
The safety element is a mandatory portion of the General Plan and must be consistent with state statutes and the city’s adopted local hazard mitigation plan. Gregg told commissioners that the update also supports disaster preparedness and emergency response planning, and that it helps the city remain eligible for state and federal hazard mitigation funding sources.
Schedule and next steps
Staff said the technical work will continue through the fall, with the planning commission asked to review a draft in early 2026 and a planned city council hearing in spring 2026. Commissioners asked staff to highlight practical implications of the CAL FIRE designation — for example, impacts on defensible‑space requirements, landscaping and material choices for future development — and to explain how the safety‑element update will coordinate with the city’s concurrent climate action and adaptation planning efforts.
Action
Vice Chair Zick moved, and Commissioner Dixon seconded, a motion to receive and file the staff presentation. The commission voted 7‑0 to receive and file the report.
Ending
Staff will return with a draft safety element that integrates the technical updates, at which time commissioners will consider formal findings and any CEQA implications before forwarding a recommendation to council.
