Commission approves Brentwood Park redesign with sand play area, art component

The Costa Mesa Parks and Community Services Commission on June 12 approved a conceptual design to replace the playground and other amenities at Brentwood Park, voting 6-0 to accept staff’s amended recommendation to include a small sand play area in the toddler zone and to pursue an art component near the playground.

The decision follows a months-long community outreach process in which staff recorded about 473 survey responses and hosted multiple pop-up events. City staff said the project is in the city’s capital improvement program with $650,000 allocated for the work and staff is applying for a matching equipment grant through a partnership with GameTime and the California Parks and Recreation Society; staff estimated the GameTime-related grant could provide up to about $50,000 in equipment funding and the application is due July 7.

The redesign replaces play equipment installed in 1995 with two separated play areas — one for children ages 2–5 and one for ages 5–12 — and adds accessible features, swings, an inclusive spinner and seesaw, benches, shade structures, LED pathway lighting upgrades, a water fountain and a decomposed-granite (DG) walking path that connects Monte Vista and Brentwood Street. Staff described a “tree-fort” design intended to preserve the park’s mature trees and said no tree removals are anticipated.

Maintenance manager Rob Ryan and Director Gruner presented photos of cracked and rusted panels on the existing structure and described repeated repairs over the years. Ryan said the proposed layout keeps the playground largely within the existing footprint and adds two age-appropriate play zones, rubber and wood-fiber surfacing in the larger play area and a sand option in the toddler zone; the commission voted to adopt the sand option for the toddler area to enable a small bike/trike loop around that area if budget permits.

Public comment at the meeting was strongly supportive. Nine-year-old Sage, who identified herself as a local resident, told the commission she has attended meetings and led a petition drive: "I have been trying to get a new playground since I was 4," she said. Neighbors and frequent park users described daily use by families and urged rapid action to replace the rusting equipment, citing accessibility issues for older and disabled caregivers.

Commissioners pressed staff on tree protection, potential lighting impacts to adjacent backyards and the trade-offs of adding fencing. Ryan said fencing was not included in the design and warned that adding fencing would either force a smaller play area or require a complete redesign because of required fall zones. Staff agreed to use tree-protection measures during construction, to consider directional shielding for lights to avoid backyard intrusion and to use smaller equipment to limit root compaction.

Construction could begin in the fall and staff said they expect to finish the playground portion before December to meet grant timelines; staff also said the grant requires completion by early next year and that city council action will be required later for contract awards to purchase equipment and for a separate construction contract.

The amended motion approved by the commission asked staff to pursue the proposal as presented, include community-minded art features as feasible, and implement the toddler-area sand option to allow a small cycle track if the budget allows. The commission recorded the approval as 6-0.

The approval sends the conceptual design forward; staff will return with final contract recommendations and schedule details for council approval before construction begins.