Costa Mesa Permit Permit Expeditors &
Land Use Entitlement Consultants

Some Commercial and Industrial Properties May Now Have Housing Potential

Costa Mesa’s Housing Element identifies properties where additional housing capacity can be accommodated. This makes Housing Opportunity Site research particularly valuable during property acquisition and development feasibility.

A property currently developed with retail, shopping center, office, industrial, surface parking, low-intensity commercial, or aging improvements may have a substantially different residential or mixed-use development opportunity.

Existing Property → General Plan → Current Zoning → Housing Opportunity Site → Mixed-Use Overlay → State Housing Law → Density Bonus → Recommended Development Scenario

One of Costa Mesa’s Most Important Development Changes

Costa Mesa’s Mixed-Use Overlay District (MUOD) is one of the strongest development topics for this page.

The City is applying the overlay to Housing Element Opportunity Sites to facilitate higher-density housing and mixed-use development on selected commercial and industrial properties.

The existing business or commercial use does not necessarily need to disappear simply because an overlay exists.

Instead, the overlay can create an additional development pathway when an owner chooses to redevelop.

Existing Commercial / Industrial Property → Housing Element Status → Mixed-Use Overlay → Residential Capacity → Density Bonus → Entitlement Path → Recommended Development Program

• Multifamily housing
• Affordable housing
• Mixed-use development
• Commercial-to-residential redevelopment
• Residential infill
• Redevelopment of underutilized commercial properties

JDJ Can Evaluate
• Whether the property is within the MUOD
• Housing Opportunity Site status
• Base zoning
• Residential density
• Mixed-use requirements
• FAR
• Height
• Setbacks
• Open space
• Parking
• Affordable housing requirements
• Density Bonus
• State housing laws
• Entitlement requirements

Housing + Corridor Revitalization

Costa Mesa voters approved Measure K to allow housing development in designated commercial and industrial areas while directing growth away from established residential neighborhoods.

For developers, Measure K creates an important acquisition question: Could a property that historically functioned only as commercial or industrial now support housing or mixed-use development?

• Harbor Boulevard
• Newport Boulevard
• Commercial corridors
• Industrial areas
• Areas north of I-405
• Selected mixed-use areas

One of Costa Mesa’s Strongest Acquisition Opportunities

Costa Mesa contains a significant inventory of shopping centers, strip commercial, office buildings, large parking lots, low-density commercial properties, aging retail, and industrial properties. Some may now warrant residential or mixed-use redevelopment analysis.

• Mixed-Use Overlay District
• Housing Element Opportunity Sites
• Measure K
• Existing Urban Plans
• Density Bonus
• State housing law
• Rezoning
• General Plan amendments

Pre-Acquisition Questions
• Is residential permitted?
• Is the property an Opportunity Site?
• Does the MUOD apply?
• What density is available?
• What affordable housing requirements apply?
• Can Density Bonus increase the unit count?
• Can development standards be modified through State law?
• What entitlements are required?
• What existing uses or leases could affect redevelopment?

Housing + Mixed-Use + Commercial Redevelopment

Harbor Boulevard is one of Costa Mesa’s most important development corridors. Housing policy and Measure K make portions of the corridor especially relevant for redevelopment analysis.

For owners of aging commercial properties, the key question may be whether maintaining the existing commercial configuration represents the property’s strongest long-term development strategy.

• Multifamily housing
• Affordable housing
• Mixed-use development
• Commercial redevelopment
• Hotel development
• Restaurants
• Retail
• Residential infill
• Commercial-to-residential development

Mixed-Use, Housing & Commercial Revitalization

Newport Boulevard is another important Costa Mesa redevelopment corridor.

Depending on the property, development may be affected by base zoning, Housing Element status, Mixed-Use Overlay, Measure K, Urban Plan regulations, Density
Bonus, and existing entitlements.

• Multifamily housing
• Mixed-use
• Affordable housing
• Commercial redevelopment
• Retail
• Restaurants
• Hospitality
• Residential infill
• Live/work
• Adaptive reuse

One of Costa Mesa’s Most Distinctive Redevelopment Areas

Westside Costa Mesa should be one of the major differentiators on this page. The City’s Westside planning framework was established to encourage revitalization of older commercial and industrial properties while introducing new residential,
mixed-use, live/work, and creative employment opportunities.

The Westside includes multiple specialized planning frameworks, so development potential can vary significantly from parcel to parcel.

• Multifamily housing
• Live/work
• Residential lofts
• Mixed-use
• Creative industrial
• Small-lot development
• Commercial redevelopment
• Adaptive reuse
• Ownership housing

Mixed-Use + Housing + Adaptive Reuse

The 19 West Urban Plan creates commercial and residential mixed-use opportunities primarily along portions of West 19th Street, Harbor Boulevard, Newport Boulevard / Superior Avenue, and Victoria Street / Placentia Avenue.

The plan was designed to encourage mixed-use development, residential development, adaptive reuse, new housing types, private reinvestment, and commercial revitalization.

• Urban Plan applicability
• Base zoning
• Mixed-use overlay
• Residential eligibility
• Development intensity
• Height
• Parking
• Housing requirements
• Density Bonus
• Required entitlements

Residential + Live/Work + Creative Industrial

The Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan covers an area historically characterized by industrial properties. Its planning framework encourages residential development, live/work, creative industrial workspace, redevelopment, new housing, and continued
qualifying industrial activity.

This creates an unusual environment where residential and creative employment uses can exist alongside established industrial activity.

• Urban Plan applicability
• Residential development rights
• Live/work eligibility
• Existing industrial uses
• Compatibility requirements
• Density
• Height
• Parking
• Noise considerations
• Required entitlements

Costa Mesa also maintains a specialized planning framework intended to encourage residential ownership opportunities within portions of the Westside.

For property owners and developers, JDJ can evaluate whether the applicable overlay or Urban Plan provides development flexibility beyond conventional base zoning.

• Condominiums
• Planned residential development
• Ownership housing
• Redevelopment of older multifamily properties
• Infill housing

Major Housing, Employment & Mixed-Use Opportunity

North Costa Mesa contains some of the city’s largest commercial, employment, and redevelopment properties around South Coast Plaza, Bristol Street, Sunflower Avenue, Anton Boulevard, Avenue of the Arts, and I-405.

North Costa Mesa should be treated separately from Westside Costa Mesa because its parcel sizes, development intensity, employment base, transportation network, and redevelopment opportunities are substantially different.

• Multifamily housing
• Mixed-use
• Commercial redevelopment
• Office
• Hotels
• Retail
• Restaurants
• Employment uses
• Major master-planned projects

Major Long-Term Housing & Community Development

The approximately 102-acre Fairview Developmental Center property represents one of Costa Mesa’s most significant long-term planning opportunities. The City is developing a Specific Plan for the property.

For JDJ’s page, Fairview should be treated primarily as an example of Costa Mesa’s broader housing and land-use transformation rather than marketed as an ordinary privately available development site.

• Costa Mesa housing development
• Master-planned development
• Affordable housing
• Mixed-income communities
• Specific Plans
• Large-scale entitlement
• Public/private development
• Community facilities
• Infrastructure planning

Density Bonus should be prominently featured for qualifying Costa Mesa housing projects. Depending on affordability and project structure, California Density Bonus Law can potentially provide additional residential density, incentives, concessions, development-standard waivers, parking benefits, and other statutory protections.

Base Development → MUOD / Housing Opportunity Site → Affordable Housing Program → Density Bonus → Incentives & Concessions → Waivers → Optimized Development Envelope

This analysis should occur before the architect finalizes the unit count and building envelope.

Affordable Housing Needs to Be Evaluated Early

Costa Mesa has adopted an Affordable Housing Ordinance that applies to qualifying rental residential development. For applicable projects, affordability requirements should be analyzed at the beginning of feasibility—not after the project has already been designed.

Understanding both the City’s local affordable housing requirements and California Density Bonus Law can materially affect the development strategy.

• Whether the ordinance applies
• Required affordable units
• Income categories
• Density Bonus interaction
• Development incentives
• Project design implications
• Entitlement requirements

Costa Mesa Is Not Only a Housing Market

Costa Mesa maintains significant industrial and employment areas. This is particularly important in areas where housing redevelopment is occurring near existing employment uses.

• Light manufacturing
• Creative industrial
• Design
• R&D;
• Warehousing
• Flex industrial
• Business parks
• Production
• Commercial services
• Industrial tenant improvements

JDJ Can Evaluate
• Permitted use
• Conditional Use Permit requirements
• Parking
• Loading
• Outdoor activity
• Noise
• Hazardous materials
• Fire requirements
• Utility requirements
• Change of occupancy
• Building permits

Costa Mesa has one of Orange County’s strongest retail, restaurant, design, and entertainment markets. Pre-lease entitlement and permit analysis can identify major problems before the tenant commits to a location.

• Restaurants
• Cafés
• Retail
• Fitness
• Wellness
• Medical
• Childcare
• Office
• Showrooms
• Creative businesses
• Entertainment
• Hospitality

Key Pre-Lease Questions
• Is the use permitted?
• Is a Conditional Use Permit required?
• Does the use change occupancy?
• Is parking sufficient?
• Are Fire upgrades required?
• Are accessibility improvements required?
• Are alcohol or entertainment approvals required?
• What Building permits are needed?

ADUs remain another housing opportunity throughout qualifying Costa Mesa residential properties.

• Detached ADUs
• Attached ADUs
• Garage conversions
• Multifamily ADUs
• Existing-space conversions
• JADUs

JDJ Can Coordinate
• Zoning review
• Development standards
• Existing conditions
• Plan check
• Fire requirements
• Utilities
• Corrections
• Permit issuance