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Costa Mesa meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Plain-English weekly recaps written from official meeting records. 7 weeks available.

Weeks

Week of 2026-10-26

Costa Mesa agendas list $16 million fire station bonds, zoning changes and a sober living permit — but no votes are recorded yet

Costa Mesa's City Council and Housing Authority agendas for the past two weeks list several consequential items, including lease revenue bonds of up to $16.0 million for Fire Station No. 2 reconstruction, citywide zoning code amendments and a permit for a sober living home. Minutes for these meetings have not been published, so the agendas show what was scheduled for consideration, not what was decided. No vote tallies or outcomes are available in the records provided.

Fire station bonds, zoning and a sober living permit (Oct. 20)

The Oct. 20 agenda for the REGULAR CITY COUNCIL AND HOUSING AUTHORITY* lists public hearings on several major updates. Among them:

Because minutes are not yet posted, the record does not establish whether any of these items were approved, denied, continued or modified.

Closed session: labor talks, litigation and 3303 Hyland Avenue

A separate Oct. 20 closed session entry for the same body lists labor negotiations with Costa Mesa Executive Employees, Costa Mesa Fire Association and Costa Mesa Fire Management Association. It also lists litigation review in City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House LLC (multiple cases), Disability Rights California v. City of Costa Mesa, and People of the State of California v. City of Costa Mesa. A real property negotiation is listed for 3303 Hyland Avenue regarding price and payment terms. The agenda does not disclose what was discussed or any direction given to staff.

Oct. 13: information technology plan study session

An Oct. 13 study session listed a staff presentation on the proposed Information Technology Strategic Plan (ITSP) Phase II and its Implementation Roadmap, with the body asked to provide feedback on the documents. No minutes have been published for that meeting either.

Coming up

Oct. 26 — Planning Commission. Two conditional use permit public hearings are scheduled: a one-year time extension for cannabis storefront Conditional Use Permit PA-22-08 at 2490 Newport Ave, and Conditional Use Permit PCUP-26-0002 for a museum with an outdoor courtyard at 1901 Newport Boulevard, Suite 100.

Oct. 29 — REGULAR CITY COUNCIL AND HOUSING AUTHORITY*, closed session. Listed items include negotiation with Jamboree Housing regarding price and payment terms for 695 W. 19th Street (APN: 424-211-01) and a conference with legal counsel regarding potential litigation.

Oct. 29 — REGULAR CITY COUNCIL AND HOUSING AUTHORITY*, regular agenda. Scheduled items include a public hearing on the Development Impact Fees Annual Report and continuation of the citywide traffic impact fee; a public hearing on the User Fee Study and adoption of an updated Consolidated Master Fee Schedule; approval of Side Letter Agreements for temporary upgrade pay for the Firefighters and Fire Management Associations; adoption of a Salary Resolution for Executive Employees, including the City Manager and Assistant City Manager; and approval of Final Parcel Map No. 2023-160 at 695 West 19th Street and related easements.

Residents can attend the open portions of these meetings; the linked official agendas are the authoritative record.

Week of 2026-10-19

Costa Mesa agenda roundup: 110-acre Fairview plan, Wilson Street sober living appeal, and a $16 million fire station bond ahead

Costa Mesa's City Council and Housing Authority was scheduled Oct. 6 to take up the largest land-use item on its recent agendas: Ordinance No. 2026-08, which would adopt the Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan and rezone the 110-acre site at 2501 Harbor Boulevard. No minutes have been published for any of the four meetings summarized here, so this roundup describes what was scheduled, not what was decided. No vote tallies were available.

Fairview Developmental Center: 110 acres at 2501 Harbor Boulevard

Under the ordinance as described in the agenda summary, 95 acres would fall under the specific plan and 15 acres would change to Institutional and Recreational (I&R) zoning. The item appeared on the Oct. 6 agenda for the regular City Council and Housing Authority meeting at 77 Fair Drive.

Appeal over a sober living home at 115 East Wilson Street

The same agenda listed a public hearing on an appeal of the Planning Commission's denial of a reasonable accommodation request by The Ohio House to operate a sober living home at 115 East Wilson Street, Units A through E. Staff recommended remanding the matter to the Community Development Director and noticing a follow-up hearing for October 20, 2026.

Contracts for engineering, generators, and Fair Drive

Consent items on the Oct. 6 agenda included an increase of $300,000 to the Kabbara Engineering professional services agreement, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $600,000, for on-call Public Works/Engineering staff support. Another would award a two-year professional services agreement to Ayres Associates for emergency generator design services, not to exceed $124,283, plus a 10% contingency of $12,428.

Under new business, the agenda listed an $863,000 not-to-exceed agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates for Fair Drive circulation improvements ("Fair Drive For All"), plus an $86,300 contingency, and a resolution setting new prima facie speed limits in school zones.

Closed session: five lawsuits and a Hyland Avenue property negotiation

The Oct. 6 closed session covered five existing litigation matters under Government Code 54956.9(d)(1), including City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House LLC and Ohio House, LLC v. City of Costa Mesa; Disability Rights California v. City of Costa Mesa, City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly, and the City Council (Orange County Superior Court); and People of the State of California ex rel. Rob Bonta and HCD v. City of Costa Mesa (Orange County Superior Court).

A real property negotiation under GC 54956.8 concerned APN 139-032-11, 3303 Hyland Avenue, with City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly as negotiator and Lisa Kolieb of Akerman LLP as the negotiating party, over price and terms of payment.

Parks commission: Moon Park design and Estancia Park donations

The Parks and Community Services Commission was scheduled Oct. 8 to review a conceptual design for renovation of Moon Park at 3377 California Street, and to consider accepting memorial donations at Estancia Park: a memorial tree and plaque for Beth and Gladys Refakes, and a memorial tree, bench, and two plaques for John (Jack) Thomas O'Meara.

IT study session

On Oct. 13 the Council was scheduled to hold a study session receiving a staff presentation on the proposed Information Technology Strategic Plan Phase II and its Implementation Roadmap, with the Council asked to provide feedback.

Coming up

The City Council and Housing Authority meets Oct. 20 with public hearings scheduled on lease revenue bonds not to exceed $16.0 million for Fire Station No. 2 reconstruction; Conditional Use Permit PA-17-10 for a sober living home at 115 East Wilson Street; zoning code amendments and map updates for "Neighborhoods Where We All Belong"; an agreement for a School Resource Officer Program with Newport-Mesa Unified School District; and adoption of the Safety Element Update, Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and Environmental Justice Policy Review.

A closed session that day is listed for labor negotiations with Costa Mesa Executive Employees, Costa Mesa Fire Association, and Costa Mesa Fire Management Association, along with litigation review and the 3303 Hyland Avenue property negotiation.

Week of 2026-10-12

Costa Mesa weighs 110-acre Fairview plan and sober living appeal; no October outcomes confirmed

Costa Mesa's City Council, Arts Commission and Parks and Community Services Commission all met in the first two weeks of October, but the records provided for those meetings are agendas only — minutes have not been published. None of the outcomes below are confirmed. What follows is what appeared on the published agendas.

The largest item before the Council was a plan to rezone the 110-acre Fairview Developmental Center site at 2501 Harbor Boulevard.

Fairview Developmental Center

Ordinance No. 2026-08 would adopt the Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan and rezone the 110-acre site at 2501 Harbor Boulevard. Under the proposal, 95 acres would fall under the plan and 15 acres would change to Institutional and Recreational (I&R). The ordinance appeared on the October 6 Council agenda. Whether it was adopted is not established by the records provided.

Sober living home appeal

The Council was scheduled to hold a public hearing on an appeal of the Planning Commission's denial of a reasonable accommodation request by The Ohio House to operate a sober living home at 115 East Wilson Street, Units A through E. Staff recommended remanding the matter to the Community Development Director and noticing a follow-up hearing for October 20, 2026.

Contracts, roads and speed limits

Consent items included increasing the Kabbara Engineering professional services agreement by $300,000, to a total not-to-exceed amount of $600,000, for on-call Public Works/Engineering staff support. A second consent item would award a two-year professional services agreement to Ayres Associates for emergency generator design services, not to exceed $124,283, plus a 10% contingency of $12,428.

Under new business, the Council was to consider an $863,000 not-to-exceed agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates for Fair Drive circulation improvements ("Fair Drive For All"), plus an $86,300 contingency, and a resolution setting new prima facie speed limits in school zones.

Closed session: lawsuits and a Hyland Avenue property

A separate October 6 agenda entry listed a closed session covering five existing litigation matters under Government Code 54956.9(d)(1), including City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House LLC and Ohio House, LLC v. City of Costa Mesa; Disability Rights California v. City of Costa Mesa, City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly, and the City Council (Orange County Superior Court); and People of the State of California ex rel. Rob Bonta and HCD v. City of Costa Mesa (Orange County Superior Court).

The closed session also covered a real property negotiation under GC 54956.8 for APN 139-032-11, 3303 Hyland Avenue, with City Manager Cecilia Gallardo-Daly as negotiator and Lisa Kolieb of Akerman LLP as the negotiating party, on price and terms of payment. That agenda text listed no open-session action items, public hearings, contracts or fee changes.

Arts Commission

On October 1 the Arts Commission was set to hear two presentations: the One Metro West art concept (item 26-435) and an introduction of the consultant team for the City's Arts and Culture Master Plan Update (item 26-436). Neither item required formal action. The Commission also was to consider approving minutes from its September 3, 2026 meeting (item 26-434) and to receive a monthly Arts & Culture update. One commissioner seat is listed as vacant.

Parks and Community Services Commission

On October 8 the commission was to review a conceptual design for renovation of Moon Park at 3377 California Street, and to consider accepting memorial donations at Estancia Park: a tree and plaque for Beth and Gladys Refakes, and a tree, bench and two plaques for John (Jack) Thomas O'Meara.

Coming up

The City Council meets Tuesday, October 13, 2026, for a study session on the proposed Information Technology Strategic Plan (ITSP) Phase II and its Implementation Roadmap. The Council is asked to provide feedback on the documents; no vote is listed on the agenda.

A follow-up hearing on the 115 East Wilson Street matter was recommended for October 20, 2026, though the records provided do not confirm that it was scheduled.

Week of 2026-08-17

Costa Mesa boards weigh housing project, infrastructure contracts; planning commission reviews Fairview plan

Costa Mesa city boards and commissions met over the past two weeks, but no final decisions have been published yet. The City Council is set to consider a housing project and infrastructure contracts, while the Planning Commission reviewed a major specific plan. All recent meetings were agenda-only; minutes have not yet been released.

City Council

The City Council met Aug. 4 for a regular session and a closed session. On the regular agenda, the council will consider agreements for the Avon River Apartments project at 1400 Bristol Street, contingent on HUD funding. It will also vote on awarding an on-call sidewalk repair contract to S&H Civilworks for $237,600 and a signal modernization project to Econolite Systems for $2,709,902.68.

The council will also introduce a zoning ordinance update (PCTY-26-0001) for non-residential uses and continue a consolidated fee schedule public hearing to Sept. 15, 2026.

In closed session, the council discussed labor negotiations with five employee groups: the Costa Mesa City Employees Association, the Costa Mesa Confidential Unit, the Costa Mesa Police Association, the Costa Mesa Police Management Association, and Costa Mesa Executive Employees. No public items were listed.

Planning Commission

The Planning Commission held public hearings Aug. 10 on two major items. The first was the Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan (PCTY-25-0003) for the 110-acre site at 2501 Harbor Boulevard. The commission will recommend certifying the Final Environmental Impact Report, amending the General Plan land use designation from "Multi-use Center" to "FDCSP," and rezoning 95 acres from "I&R-MLT" to "FDCSP" and 15 acres to "Institutional and Recreational."

The second hearing covered a combined update to the Safety Element (PCTY-25-0002), Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (PCTY-25-0009), and Environmental Justice Policy Review (PCTY-26-0002). The commission will recommend a CEQA exemption and General Plan amendment.

The commission also approved the July 27, 2026, meeting minutes on its consent calendar. Public comments were limited to three minutes, with written comments due by noon on the meeting day.

Parks and Community Services Commission

The Parks and Community Services Commission met Aug. 13. Under new business, it will vote on accepting a memorial tree and plaque at Vista Park in memory of Julian Hernandez and provide direction on a memorial bench and plaque at Fairview Park in memory of Salvador Lara Rodriguez.

The commission also received an update on the new community garden location study, approved the June 11, 2026, meeting minutes, and reviewed department and park ranger reports for June and July 2026.

Coming up

The Planning Commission will hold a special meeting Aug. 17 to consider a resolution recommending the City Council approve a General Plan Amendment to add housing element sites to the Sixth Cycle Housing Element (2021-2029). The commission will also hold a study session on proposed zoning code amendments for multi-family residential and mixed-use design standards, as well as amendments to the Circulation, Community Design, Land Use, Noise, and Open Space elements of the General Plan. Amendments to the Newport Boulevard, North Costa Mesa, and One Metro West Specific Plans are also on the agenda. The consent calendar includes approval of the July 27, 2026, meeting minutes.

Week of 2026-08-10

Costa Mesa Council, Planning Commission take up housing, infrastructure

Costa Mesa's City Council and Planning Commission met over the past two weeks to consider housing projects, infrastructure contracts, and policy updates. Minutes have not yet been published, so no decisions are recorded. The most consequential items on the agendas were a proposed apartment project contingent on federal funding and a $2.7 million traffic signal modernization.

City Council (Aug. 4)

The City Council met in regular session and in closed session. The regular agenda included:

The council also held a closed session to discuss labor negotiations with five employee groups: Costa Mesa City Employees Association, Costa Mesa Confidential Unit, Costa Mesa Police Association, Costa Mesa Police Management Association, and Costa Mesa Executive Employees.

Planning Commission (July 27)

The Planning Commission reviewed two residential development proposals and received policy updates:

The commission also approved the July 13, 2026 meeting minutes.

Coming up

No upcoming meetings are listed in the next 14 days. Check the city's official meeting calendar for future agendas and minutes.

Week of 2026-08-03

Costa Mesa Roundup: Shelter Agreement, Ballot Measure, and Residential Projects on Recent Agendas; Council to Vote on Avon River Apartments Aug. 4

Costa Mesa's City Council, Housing Authority, and Planning Commission all met in the past two weeks, but minutes have not yet been published for any of the recent sessions. What follows is drawn from the official agendas; final votes and outcomes are not yet confirmed in the public record.

City Council — July 21

The Council and Housing Authority agenda included several items with dollar figures and dates. A proposed memorandum of understanding with the City of Irvine would cover beds at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter, running from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027.

The agenda also listed the purchase of one 2026 Caterpillar 938 Wheel Loader for $349,368.97, and acceptance of City Project No. 24-03 — the Citywide Parkway Maintenance, Street Rehabilitation, and Slurry Seal Project — performed by Onyx Paving Company, Inc.

A traffic management services agreement with the 32nd District Agricultural Association for the Orange County Fair was on the agenda, along with authorization to reject claims from eight individuals, including Roselle Bailey and Anthony Deak.

A separate closed session covered labor negotiations with four employee groups: the Costa Mesa City Employees Association (CMCEA), the Costa Mesa Confidential Unit, the Costa Mesa Police Association (CMPA), and the Costa Mesa Police Management Association (CMPMA). Legal conferences were listed regarding *City of Costa Mesa v. Ohio House LLC* and *Disability Rights California v. City of Costa Mesa*.

City Council — July 22

The Council considered placing the "Costa Mesa Fair Business License Reform, Small Business Protection Measure" on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Related resolutions on the agenda covered calling the election, consolidating it with the state election, and authorizing arguments and an impartial analysis.

The Council was also scheduled to receive and file a report on a potential Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) measure. No other substantive decisions were listed.

Planning Commission — July 27

The Planning Commission agenda included two residential development proposals: a 4-unit common interest development at 215 and 223 Mesa Drive, and a 15-unit residential development at 2075 Harbor Boulevard.

Commissioners were also scheduled to receive presentations on updates to the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP), the Safety Element, and Environmental Justice Policy. A study session on the Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan, including the Draft Environmental Impact Report, was listed, along with approval of the July 13, 2026 meeting minutes.

Coming Up — August 4

The City Council and Housing Authority will meet again on August 4. The agenda includes a vote on agreements for the Avon River Apartments project at 1400 Bristol Street, contingent on HUD HOME funding.

Other items listed:

A closed session the same day covers labor negotiations with five employee groups — the four listed above plus the Costa Mesa Executive Employees.

Because minutes from the July meetings have not yet been published, residents should check the city's official agenda and minutes portal for confirmed vote tallies and final outcomes.

Week of 2026-06-29

Planning Commission weighs zoning code update, alcohol sales permits

The Costa Mesa Planning Commission met June 22 to consider a major zoning code update and two requests for alcohol sales at Bristol Street restaurants. The meeting, whose minutes have not yet been published, included three public hearings and a vote on previous meeting minutes.

Zoning code update for non-residential uses

The commission was scheduled to consider a proposed amendment to Title 13 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code (file PCTY-26-0001). The amendment would update land use classifications and development standards for personal services, artisan studios, retail, entertainment, event centers, fitness studios and other non-residential uses. No decision has been recorded as of this writing.

Alcohol sales permits on Bristol Street

Two separate conditional use permits were on the agenda:

Both items were scheduled for public hearings. Outcomes are not available because meeting minutes have not been released.

Approval of previous minutes

The commission also planned to vote on the minutes from its April 13 and April 27, 2026 meetings. The result of that vote is not yet known.

Coming up

No public meetings are scheduled in Costa Mesa for the next two weeks, according to the city’s published calendar.

Generated from official meeting agendas and minutes — every underlying document is linked from the city page. Read the primary source before you rely on a detail.