Costa Mesa planning commissioners this week approved a plan to demolish an aging commercial center in Mesa Verde and build 11 two-story houses in its place.

The commission approved the project at 2850 Mesa Verde Drive East from developer Pinnacle Residential on a 3-0 vote Monday. Chairman Stephan Andranian was absent. Commissioner Isabell Kerins recused herself; it was not immediately clear why.

The supportive commissioners praised the project’s look and design, pointing to the adjacent Miraval development — a 10-home tract Pinnacle built with Collective Housing Supply — as evidence of the new development’s potential quality.

“I just love the project,” Commissioner Byron de Arakal said. “I think it’s fantastic and I think, based on what you did at Miraval, this one is going to be just as good and I think will be just as successful in the marketplace.”

Commissioner Carla Navarro Woods said she liked that the proposed homes offer flexibility in terms of living space to fit different families.

“I like the open space; I love the layout,” she said. “I think it’s a great project and I’m so happy to see something like this.”

Plans call for construction of six 3,519-square-foot houses with four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms.

The remaining five units would be 3,304 square feet, with the same number of bathrooms and bedrooms. All 11 houses would include two-car garages.

Pinnacle would have the option of adding a fifth bedroom to some of the homes if it expands the garages to fit three cars.

The homes will feature Santa Barbara-style architecture similar to Miraval’s, “with composition shingle roofs, stucco and stone siding,” according to a staff report.

The 2.05-acre Mesa Verde Drive East property currently has 24,644 square feet of office buildings constructed in 1963 and 1985. Those will be demolished to make way for the new homes.

During hearings the commission and City Council held last year to discuss rezoning the property from commercial to low-density residential, there was opposition to shuttering the commercial center.

The small businesses there, dissenters said, were successful and provided necessary services to the surrounding neighborhood.

On Monday, Costa Mesa activist Ann Parker said she believes the city shouldn’t be so quick to replace business centers with homes.

“We should put a stop to that,” she said. “We need our commercial areas close to our residential. We should not have to drive all over and go to other cities to do our commercial tasks.”

De Arakal said he’s sensitive to such concerns, but that he’s “a big proponent of converting obsolete commercial spaces that are really not an efficient use of land and are really no longer functional.”

The commission’s decision is final unless appealed to the City Council.

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