Costa Mesa debuts interactive Active Development Map to show building and planning activity

City economic development staff on Tuesday demonstrated a new Active Development Map intended to make development information in Costa Mesa easier for residents, businesses and real‑estate professionals to find and use.

Mr. Inlo, the city's economic development administrator, said the map—available from the city homepage and on the Development Services page—shows two panes: parcel details (zoning, assessor and geological notes) and a list of active permits and planning applications. He said users can click parcels to see active building permits (red), planning entitlements (purple) and public‑works encroachment permits and then follow direct links to the public permit records in the city's TESSA system.

"The goal for this again is to help people be able to find out what's happening in Costa Mesa," Mr. Inlo told the council, adding the product is in beta and the city will be seeking public feedback and improving mobile access. He also credited the information‑technology team and development services subject‑matter staff for helping launch the tool.

Council Member Arus Reynolds asked whether the map's building overlay differs from the planning overlay and whether capital improvement projects will be included. Mr. Inlo said the building layer shows active permits (everything from fence permits to multifamily projects), the planning layer lists entitlements that require review before construction, and that capital improvement projects reside in TESSA and would be added after modifications to reflect public‑right‑of‑way geometry.

Staff said the map is intended as a navigable public resource rather than a replacement for formal noticing; it links to the summarized records available to the public. The council heard no requests to delay or amend the presentation and moved on to the next agenda item.