Costa Mesa council pauses Fairview Park master-plan decision after hours of testimony

The Costa Mesa City Council on Nov. 18 delayed a decision on a draft update to the Fairview Park master plan after more than two hours of staff and consultant presentations and several hours of public testimony.

The update, prepared by city staff with consultants MIG and Land IQ, outlines new biological and cultural findings for the 208-acre park and recommends stronger protections for sensitive habitats, including the Vernal Pool Complex, tribal cultural sites, trail consolidation and increased enforcement. It also recommends exploring relocation of the Harbor Soaring Society (HSS) flying field that sits within the park’s vernal-pool watershed.

The recommendation reflects recent technical studies and feedback from resource agencies. Travis Brooks, a consultant biologist, told council the park is a regional biodiversity hotspot that supports rare vernal pools and federally protected species. He said the draft plan treats the park as a unified watershed — not just discrete pools — and that some existing uses and user-created trails threaten habitat and buried cultural resources.

Cole Kreiselius, chair of the Fairview Park steering committee, urged relocation of the flying field, saying, "aligning with experts, regulatory agencies, advisory bodies and other stakeholder groups, my recommendation is to move the fly field outside of Fairview Park." Kreiselius pointed to completed technical work and five alternative flight sites city staff and consultants had tested.

The Harbor Soaring Society presented an opposing view. Matt Garcia, HSS president, said the club has used the site for decades and argued the consultant analysis is flawed. "The technical foundation of the master plan is flawed," he said, urging the council to either stop the master-plan update or designate the flying field as a local historic landmark. HSS offered mitigation measures — preseason surveys, midseason monitoring, buffers and training — that it said would avoid harm to wildlife.

Tribal representatives and conservation groups, including the Coastal Corridor Alliance and a tribal secretary who identified herself for the Hachiman nation, urged the council to adopt protections and continue tribal consultation. The Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service submitted written comments to the city earlier in the process expressing concern about potential impacts and endorsing stronger protections; staff posted those letters on the city website and provided copies at the dais.

Council members’ questions ranged across technical and legal issues: whether Measure AA (the 2016 voter measure codified in municipal code), which restricts significant new construction in the park, would be triggered by any relocation; what the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review would require; how long-term monitoring and enforcement would be funded; and the extent and confidentiality of tribal cultural information.

After nearly eight hours of presentations and public testimony, Mayor Stevens moved — and the council seconded — to continue the Fairview Park master-plan item as Old Business to the Dec. 2 council meeting so members would have time to review materials and receive follow-up information from staff. The motion passed on a 7–0 roll-call vote.

Next steps include staff responses to council questions, additional materials posted to the city website, CEQA documentation to be prepared if the council directs, continued tribal coordination, and the Dec. 2 public hearing when council will resume deliberations.