By Jessica Benda
Contributing Writer
The city of Costa Mesa is calling on the public to sketch out the future of Fairview Park, a 208-acre hot spot for both endangered species and the community.
Some 25 years after the park’s original 1998 master plan, the city is gaining steam in developing a long-awaited update. The most recent revision was an updated biological survey in 2008.
This Thursday, Aug. 31, the public can voice their ideas for its future at a community workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Norma Hertzog Community Center.
Fairview Park, the largest park in Costa Mesa, is home to five different habitat ecosystems and two Native American Nationally Registered Historic Sites. A key feature is the park’s vernal pools, restored in the ‘90s and now Orange County’s last such ecosystem. Though most of its acreage is natural open space, it also features seven miles of trails, 13 acres of manicured landscaping, a beloved miniature railroad that offers rides to kids and a model glider flying field.
The update needs to prioritize restoration instead of construction, said Kim Hendricks, a founding member of the Fairview Park Alliance, a nonprofit group that emphasizes the preservation of the park’s natural areas.
“There’s no development, except for maybe a viewing bridge to go over the vernal pool connection,” she said, adding there are plenty of restoration projects that need to happen. “We don’t want any building.”
In recent years, the park and its conservation efforts have been a common topic on City Council agendas, primarily concerning human impacts on its wildlife. In 2016, voters passed Measure AA — penned by the Fairview Park Alliance — which requires voter approval for changes to Fairview Park, such as construction of playgrounds or ball fields.
Among community members vying for space is the Harbor Soaring Society, a remote-controlled airplane club that used the park’s flying field since the 1970s before being grounded…
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