Planning Commission recommends denial of 40-unit Victoria Place condo project after debate over parking, setbacks and deviations

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission on June 9 voted 5-2 to recommend that the City Council deny a proposal for a 40-unit residential common interest development at 220–236 Victoria Place that sought a general plan amendment, rezone, a residential incentive overlay and a tentative tract map.

The project, proposed by Bundy Finkel Architects for WMC LLC, would merge three parcels totaling about 1.77 acres and build 40 condominiums (a mix of detached units and duplexes) at a density of about 22.6 dwelling units per acre. Staff said the proposal would apply a Residential Incentive Overlay created after Measure K and permit up to 30 units per acre, but the applicant requested numerous local deviations from Costa Mesa common interest development standards.

Staff and the applicant said the project provides private yards, rooftop decks and on-site amenities including a barbecue area, children’s play area and a flexible community space. Victor Mendez, the city senior planner, told commissioners the development would add a passive recreation area in an underutilized landscape peninsula along Victoria Place and that a draft mitigated negative declaration (MND) found environmental impacts would be less than significant with mitigation.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the site’s rezoning path and the number of code deviations raised a threshold issue for them: whether the property should be included in the overlay at all. Several commissioners and members of the public said that, even if housing is needed, the proposal relied too heavily on departures from the city’s common interest and overlay development standards — including reduced parking, narrower garage stalls and reduced side and rear setbacks — and that those tradeoffs would create unacceptable neighborhood impacts.

Concerns and debate

Public commenter Jay Humphrey, a Costa Mesa resident, urged the commission to correct the minutes of a prior meeting and objected to the project’s low parking standard. “I am absolutely against the parking ratio,” Humphrey said, adding that allowing overflow parking onto neighborhood streets is “inappropriate.”

Commissioners questioned a suite of deviations: the project proposes 103 parking spaces where the city requires 150, reduces interior garage width to 19 feet 6 inches (from 20 feet) and seeks narrower parking stalls between buildings. Staff supported many of the deviations as preserving unit count and site functionality, and the applicant said the geometry and desire for two-car garages drove the layout.

Applicant response

Tony Weeda, managing partner for WMC, told the commission his team had reviewed the conditions and mitigation and “we accept them as presented, subject to any revisions based on your feedback this evening.” Architect Richard Finkel said the design tradeoffs were deliberate to deliver private yards, large balconies and roof decks and two-car garages for each unit.

Action and outcome

Vice Chair Zick moved to recommend denial of the MND and associated entitlements; that motion passed 5-2. The vote was recorded as 5 in favor of denial, 2 opposed (Commissioner Andrade and Commissioner Dixon). The commission’s recommendation now goes to City Council for final decisions on the MND, general plan amendment, rezone, master plan and tentative tract map.

What remains unresolved

Staff noted mitigation measures in the draft MND covering transportation, cultural and tribal resources, and hazardous materials; the final decision on the project’s entitlements will be made by the City Council. The record shows continuing debate over whether the overlay is the correct zoning tool for this site, whether the project’s tradeoffs are acceptable and whether off‑site circulation and pedestrian safety near the Victoria/Newport corridor have been adequately addressed.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Recommend that City Council deny adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration and not approve the general plan amendment, rezone, master plan and tentative tract map (Vice Chair Zick). Outcome: Passed, 5-2 (Andrade, Dixon voted no).