Fairview Park Master Plan

The City of Costa Mesa is advancing the Fairview Park Mesa Restoration Project under a Mitigated Negative Declaration pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act, with the goal of restoring and enhancing 15.36 acres of native vegetation to improve habitat for protected species including Crotch’s Bumble Bee and Western Burrowing Owl. The project involves the removal of invasive plant species through selective herbicide applications and manual weeding, followed by the replanting of native flora to support critical pollinators and wildlife, with all activities designed to align with CDFW-approved habitat restoration protocols and avoidance and minimization measures. Work must adhere to strict seasonal timing windows to protect sensitive life stages, including pre-work biological surveys conducted during specific periods and under precise environmental conditions such as temperature, wind, and light levels, with mandatory buffer zones of 50 to 100 feet around confirmed nests or burrows depending on the intensity of activity. All restoration actions are contingent upon compliance with legally binding mitigation requirements enforced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which serves as the responsible agency for oversight. A Qualified Biologist with documented experience in the target species must be present on-site to conduct surveys, enforce compliance, and immediately suspend work if any stress indicators are observed in protected wildlife. All personnel must undergo mandatory, annually recurring training on species identification and mitigation procedures, and all activities are subject to continuous monitoring and reporting, with results compiled into annual performance reports submitted to the City and CDFW. The project is physically confined to Fairview Park at 2525 Placencia Avenue, Costa Mesa, and administrative oversight is managed by Kelly Dalton, Fairview Park Administrator, with Christian Romberger of CDFW serving as the compliance liaison. No federal procurement clauses or financial line items are present, as this effort is wholly a state-directed environmental restoration initiative under CEQA, funded through municipal resources and subject to public record and long-term monitoring obligations as conditions of approval.