One Metro West Frequently Asked Questions

  1. In addition to housing, what else does One Metro West plan to build or provide the city of Costa Mesa?

    One Metro West plans to build housing North of the 405, and to benefit the Costa Mesa community with:

    1. A 1.5 acre public park and community room, fully improved and managed by One Metro West
    2. Approximately $5 million of bike and pedestrian improvements on Sunflower and the Santa Ana River Trail
    3. Approximately $6.5 million in economic recovery, community infrastructure and public safety funds.
    4. As One Metro West is phase the project, it will continually invest in the neighborhood, with a significant amount of the fees over time

  2. What is the monetary benefit by One Metro West to the Costa Mesa community?

    One Metro West is investing in Costa Mesa! The city’s capital budget is approximately $17 million per year.  The value of One Metro West’s community benefits package is approximately $68 million dollars or 3.9 x  Costa Mesa’s capital budget.  These investments come at a critical time, post COVID, and push the city forward almost 4 years. Without One Metro West, these improvements might take decades to replicate.

  3. Why build 6- and 7-story buildings?

    One Metro West is building from a land planning, economic and environmental perspective.

    1. Land Planning – The 2,300 new jobs coming to The Press will demand upwards of  1,900 units of housing. Good land planning suggests housing should be located in  close proximity rather than far. Even with over 1,000 units, more housing is needed.  One Metro West is similar in size to other newer apartment project north of the 405 Freeway.
    2. Economic – According to Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics, a healthy  housing market is the number one reason Orange County is not attracting upwardly  mobile employers and jobs.
    3. Environmental – Every major environmental group touts infill housing near jobs as  a key component for environmental sustainability.

     

    Additionally, the state has issued specific requirements for the city plan for new housing. By planning for housing north of the 405, the traditional neighborhoods to the south are protected from these new requirements. Those are independent of this community proposal and the city worked very hard to lower those requirements but as they now have the force of law, lowering the number of housing in this community proposal pushes the remaining new housing requirements south of the 405 Freeway and closer to traditional neighborhoods.

  4. Does One Metro West have a plan to prevent lighting pollution?

    All proposed lighting features will be required to meet the Development Standards  required as part of the Specific Plan. An Exterior Lighting Plan will be prepared, prior to  issuance of the first building permit that identifies and depicts locations, types, scale,  and illumination power of lighting fixtures on all building exteriors.

    The Lighting Plan and Photometric Study will include performance standards to minimize the project’s  potential to result in lighting impacts. (Reference: OMW DEIR Page 5.1-31)

  5. How will One Metro West impact the air quality and noise levels of the neighborhood?

    Overall, One Metro West would not result in significant operational health risk  impacts nor significant noise impacts to the nearest residents. (Reference: OMW DEIR  Page 5.2-26, & Page 5.10-21)

  6. Will One Metro West be a Zero Net Energy Project?

    One Metro West would be constructed in accordance with BEE Standards and  CALGreen requirements. The BEE Standards and CALGreen are updated tri-annually  with a goal to achieve zero net energy for residential buildings by 2020 and non residential buildings by 2030. The non-residential standard applies to multi-family  buildings over three stories in height. The proposed project would also provide solar  ready hookups to meet the 2030 zero net energy goal. (Reference: OMW DEIR Page  5.4-11)

    Additionally, One Metro West will have a LEED-equivalent sustainability designation.

  7. How many school-aged children are projected to live at One Metro West and what schools will they attend?

    Based on current Newport-Mesa projections, One Metro West will house approximately  93 school-aged children when fully operational.

    One Metro West students will be zoned to attend California Elementary School  located at 3232 California Avenue, Costa Mesa for K-6th grade; TeWinkle Middle School located at 3224 California Avenue, Costa Mesa for grades 7-8, and Estancia High School located at 2323 Placentia Avenue, Costa Mesa for grades 9-12. (Reference: OMW  DEIR Page 5.12-9)

    Each of these schools has more than enough capacity to serve One Metro West’s student population.

  8. Will Costa Mesa residents be able to use the 1.5-acre open space at One Metro West?

    Yes, Costa Mesa residents will be welcome to use the 1.5-acre open space at One Metro  West. Additionally, One Metro West will provide a number of public art facilities and  the landscaping theme of the open space will extend to the bike/pedestrian  connections along Sunflower Avenue and along the bike path to the Santa Ana River  Trail.

  9. How big is the community room that is open to the public?

    The community room will be 1,500 square feet, is open to the public and will be  managed through an agreement with the City of Costa Mesa and One Metro West.

  10. What impact will traffic from One Metro West have on Harbor Boulevard south of the 405 Freeway?

    Most trip interactions will occur in north Costa Mesa, or along the 405 Freeway. Few  project trips are destined south of the 405 Freeway. By way of example, the  intersection of Gisler/Harbor will show only 1% approximate change than current conditions, during AM/PM peak hours.

    There is a very distinct traffic pattern coming into Costa Mesa in the morning and  leaving at night. As noted, few cars venture south of the 405 Freeway during AM/PM  peak hours. And those which do will mostly be moving opposite of the existing traffic  patterns.

  11. How will One Metro West affect traffic patterns at Wimbledon?

    New traffic in and around Wimbledon will be mostly driven by the re-development of  The Press, including 2,300 new employees. One Metro West will pull AM/PM peak traffic from The Press away from Wimbledon.

  12. How will One Metro West be phased?

    As with all multi-phased communities, economic conditions are the primary driver of the phasing timing. The community is designed to start with Building A and the open space (Phase I), then Building B (Phase II) and finishing with Building C (Phase III). The creative office building could be part of any one phase. Also, phasing can be concurrent as opposed to sequential, if economic conditions warrant it.

  13. What permanent behavioral changes do you anticipate from the pandemic that will change the way you design and manage One Metro West?

    One Metro West offers:

    1. Work at home offices and areas;
    2. The fastest fiber optic cable; 
    3. A business office for small office needs; and
    4. Conference rooms to support Work from Home

     

    In addition, we have designed a 1.5-acre open space, walking paths with greenery, and a  connection to the Santa Ana River Trail for residents to get fresh air and ample exercise  all while practicing social distancing.

  14. How many units at One Metro West will be affordable?

    There will be 67 “Very Low” units and 39 “Low” units for a total of 106 units. To qualify for “Very Low” unit, a single person’s income cannot exceed $34,275 in Orange County. To qualify for a “Low” unit, a single person’s income cannot exceed $54,840 in Orange County.