Working for a Livable City
Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan - New Development in the Heart of Costa Mesa
The Fairview Developmental Center Specific Plan (FDCSP) proposes to redevelop about 95 acres of the 110‑acre state‑owned Fairview Developmental Center site into a large mixed‑use community. At full buildout, the project would include at least 2,300 housing units—with the potential for up to 4,000 units—plus up to 35,000 square feet of commercial space. Buildings could rise as high as 12 stories, including parking structures, and would include a mix of townhomes, courtyard housing, and multi‑family apartments designed to serve residents across income levels and life stages.
The housing plan allocates 575 very‑low‑income units (including 200 permanent supportive housing units), 345 low‑income units, 690 moderate‑income units, and 690 above‑moderate‑income units, totaling the 2,300‑unit minimum. Independent and assisted‑living senior housing is also included. The project would contribute significantly to meeting Costa Mesa’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).
Commercial uses would focus on neighborhood‑serving businesses such as restaurants, cafés, small grocery stores, fitness studios, offices, childcare facilities, and medical services. The project includes at least 14 acres of publicly accessible open space, featuring parks, plazas, trails, and recreational and cultural amenities, in addition to required private and common residential open space.
Primary access would be from Fair Drive and a new Harbor Boulevard connection, with emergency‑only access via Merrimac Way. The Harbor Boulevard access would require reconfiguring up to six municipal golf course holes. A new multi‑use pedestrian and bicycle path—the Shelley Circle Trail—would connect the site to existing regional trails.
The land is owned by the State of California, which will select a master developer. The project is separate from two other state‑controlled components on the site: a new State Emergency Operations Center currently under construction, and a 20‑acre area reserved for future housing for individuals with developmental disabilities, which the State will develop independently.
A draft Environmental Impact Report prepared by the City has been released. You can find that document here: https://fdcplan.com/wp-content/uploads/FDCSP_PublicReviewDraft_wAppendices_20260316.pdf
Costa Mesa First submitted a comment letter to the City about the draft Environmental Impact Report.
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We believe in putting the residents of Costa Mesa First
Costa Mesa First is working to preserve Costa Mesa residents' right to vote on their future. Under the Costa Mesa First Smart Growth Initiative passed into law in November 2016, Costa Mesa voters have a say in approving major changes to our existing zoning and General Plan.
In November 2022, that right was attacked by politicians elected to represent us. The Costa Mesa City Council majority put a deceptive measure on the ballot that removed the residents' right to vote on certain large projects that would be built along the major corridors, Fairview Developmental Center, and all of the area north of the 405 Freeway. See Measure K for more information.
After election day, the “No on K” votes led for several days of counting, but after it became apparent that the measure may fail, the local Democratic Club paid for a list of voters whose ballots had been deemed defective by the Registrar of Voters. They then went about “curing” those ballots before a deadline that had been extended to accommodate their efforts. The ballot measure barely passed by 22 votes.
The City intends to put another measure on the ballot by 2025 which will remove your right to vote on the remaining parcels of Costa Mesa. YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE IS A STAKE! DON’T GIVE AWAY YOUR REMAINING RIGHT TO VOTE ON MAJOR LAND USE CHANGES! You deserve the right to decide whether a major land use change is worth the impacts on your daily life.
HOW CAN YOU HELP? It is going to take another David versus Goliath effort to battle this measure. The City and developers will outspend our citizen grassroots group, but we intend to FIGHT!
Costa Mesa First needs your financial support to get the word out about this deceptive ballot measure.
Click here to DONATE.
See our Measure K page for more information.
What makes a city a great place to live?
Does it support a mix of ages, incomes and jobs so it can be sustained over time? Does it include cycling, walking and public transportation choices in addition to driving? Are the schools outstanding and within cycling/walking distance? As it grows and more people make it their home, will existing neighborhoods and open spaces be preserved and protected?
Costa Mesa First helps find positive answers to questions like these. Costa Mesa First shares your concerns about the size, amount, and speed of development in our unique, manageable-size coastal town. We’re here to help create solutions that can benefit everyone. We explore and share proven ways to grow a balanced, lasting and vibrant community. Costa Mesa First wants to engage residents in planning the City's future by giving voters the right to decide if major land use changes and zoning changes that impact the community should be allowed.
What does smart growth mean for you?
•Diverse options of housing and transportation that fit your lifestyle
•Neighborhood and open space preservation
•Healthy air, water, and quality of life
•Great places to do business
•Efficient use of taxes—low cost of services
Smart growth communities offer a sense of place and local flavor that make them sought-after to residents, businesses and visitors.
Proposed Emergency Operations Center at Fairview Developmental Center Comes With Impacts
The proposed EOC would be built on about 15 acres of FDC and would have an approximately 32,000 sq ft single-story office building, approximately 20,000 sq ft of warehouse space, a 120 ft communications tower and perhaps a military-grade helipad to accommodate Blackhawk helicopters. Construction would take about 37 months and would entail the use of excavators, bulldozers, scrapers, loaders, backhoes, cranes, forklifts, and tractors. It would serve 23 million people living in Southern California.
If there was an emergency in one or more of the 11 counties served, the EOC could be operating 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. This project comes with many impacts, including how the City can plan the development of the remainder of FDC for housing, aesthetics, noise and air pollution, and biological resource impacts on protected species.
Comments to the draft Environmental Impact Report were due October 20, 2023. The State, without notice, on December 19, 2023 issued a Notice of Determination certifying the Environmental Impact Report. We are awaiting notice of when construction will begin.
See our EOC page for more information.