Costa Mesa parks commissioners forward Fairview Park master plan with recommendations after hours of debate over model‑aircraft use

The Parks and Community Services Commission voted Oct. 30 to transmit the draft Fairview Park Master Plan update and a set of recommended edits to City Council after a four‑hour meeting that included a lengthy presentation by city staff and consultants and more than two hours of public testimony. Chair Brown said, "Public comment is really important. Public engagement is something that I care very deeply about," and framed the meeting as the commission's chance to provide a single set of recommendations to the council.

The draft master plan update, prepared by MIG (presentation delivered by consultant Travis Brooks), summarizes new technical studies and community outreach completed during a multiyear project. Brooks told the commission the park covers "208 acres" and described Fairview Park as "a natural and cultural treasure within the city," noting updated vegetation mapping, roughly 197 plant species (including 10 rare species), rare vernal‑pool habitat and two federally registered archaeological sites. Brooks summarized community input gathered in 2023–24 and said the principal themes were support for protecting biological and cultural resources, consolidating and maintaining well‑defined trails, funding for ADA access and park amenities, and divided opinions about high‑impact recreational uses such as BMX/dirt‑bike features and model‑aircraft activity.

City staff provided additional context. Kelly Dalton, Fairview Park administrator, told the commission that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) had sent late‑September correspondence recommending the relocation of the model‑aircraft activity from its current mesa location "due to concerns over impacts to state protected resources," citing burrowing owls, candidate pollinators and sensitive vegetation near the existing field. Dalton summarized the planning schedule: the draft was released Oct. 3 for a 30‑day…