What Costa Mesa is about to decide

Costa Mesa’s Planning Commission meets Monday, September 28, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 77 Fair Drive. Two public hearings: the citywide zoning rewrite returns as a continued public hearing, and a 21-home subdivision on East 21st Street comes up for design review. These are pending items from the posted agenda — not outcomes. Every item links to the official record.

Source: official agenda (PDF) · Legistar meeting detail

🏘 The citywide zoning rewrite, continued

• “Neighborhoods Where We All Belong” (PCTY-26-0004, PGPA-26-0002, PSPA-26-0003, PSPA-26-0004, PSPA-26-0005). The agenda lists it as a continued public hearing; the commission first took it up on September 14 (our brief). The item covers a proposed zoning code amendment, a zoning map update, establishment of citywide multifamily residential and mixed-use objective design standards, the repealing of urban plans, amendments to the Circulation, Community Design, Land Use, Noise, and Open Space and Recreation elements of the General Plan, and amendments to the Newport Boulevard, North Costa Mesa and One Metro West specific plans, together with certification of the Final Program EIR, findings of fact, a statement of overriding considerations and a mitigation monitoring and reporting program under CEQA. Public Hearing 1
• What the commission would actually do: adopt a resolution recommending that the City Council (a) certify the Program Environmental Impact Report and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program “for the Neighborhoods Where We All Belong Zoning Updates and Housing Element Implementation”; (b) amend the General Plan; (c) amend the Zoning Code, update the Zoning Map, establish the objective design standards, and repeal the SoBECA Urban Plan, 19 West Urban Plan, Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan, and Mesa West Residential Ownership Urban Plan; and (d)–(f) amend the three specific plans. Public Hearing 1
• Attachments listed with the continued hearing: a draft Planning Commission resolution, draft responses to comments, and a “Draft Density Bonus and Other Incentives” document. The agenda does not describe what the incentives are. Public Hearing 1

🏠 21 homes at 396 East 21st Street

• Design review, Tentative Tract Map No. 19412 and a density bonus (PDBR-25-0001). Staff recommends the commission find the project exempt from CEQA under Guidelines section 15332 (In-Fill Development Projects) and adopt a resolution that would approve the design review “for the development of the project including 21 dwelling units with a maximum height of 2 stories/31 feet, five inches,” approve the tentative tract map “to subdivide the property into 21 single-family residential lots,” and approve the density bonus request, “which will provide one very-low income unit, three density bonus units, and associated waivers for the development.” Public Hearing 2
• Attachments include an applicant letter, a State Density Bonus letter, the CEQA Class 32 exemption, project plans and public comment. The agenda does not name the applicant. Public Hearing 2

🪑 Also on the agenda

• Approval of the August 17, 2026 special meeting minutes, listed as “unofficial” draft minutes. Old business and new business are both listed as “NONE.” Consent Item 1
• A Public Works report, a Community Development report and a City Attorney report, with no action listed.
• How to appeal: the agenda states that unless otherwise indicated, a Planning Commission decision is final at 5:00 p.m. seven days after the action unless an affected party files an appeal to the City Council or a council member requests a review. No dollar figures appear on the posted agenda.
• How to take part: in person at the two podiums when the Chair opens public comment (three minutes per speaker), by Zoom webinar ID 868 3970 9354 with password 389803, or by phone at 1 669 900 6833. Written comments go to PCPublicComments@costamesaca.gov; those received by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting are provided to the commission and become part of the record. The meeting is shown live on Costa Mesa TV (Spectrum Channel 3, AT&T U-verse Channel 99) and at youtube.com/costamesatv.
• Listed on the agenda: Chair Jeffrey Harlan, Vice Chair Jon Zich, and Commissioners Angely Andrade, Robert Dickson, Karen Klepack, David Martinez and Johnny Rojas; Carrie Tai, Director; Tarquin Preziosi, Assistant City Attorney.

Council Brief summaries are produced from official public records by our automated newsroom and reviewed before publication. Items are described as posted; the council may amend, continue, or remove items at the meeting. Spot an error? hello@councilbrief.com — we publish corrections.