Draft Housing Element Available for Public Review and Comment!
The City of Costa Mesa invites the community to review and comment on the proposed draft amendment to the Housing Element to reflect the addition of new Housing Element sites. The public comment period will be open between June 8 and June 15.
What is the Housing Element?
The Housing Element is a state-mandated chapter (or element) of the City’s General Plan. Last adopted by the Costa Mesa City Council in 2022, the Housing Element establishes programs to address housing needs, such as identifying and maintaining sites in order to accommodate the City’s fair share of housing (also known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA). To comply with state law, the City is required to implement the programs identified in the Housing Element, such as updating the Zoning Code and rezoning sites to demonstrate capacity for housing.
What is being amended and why?
In March and April of 2026, some property owners requested 18 sites to be removed from the Housing Element Sites Inventory. This resulted in a loss of over 5,000 dwelling units from the Housing Element Sites Inventory. To maintain sufficient inventory of sites to accommodate the City’s RHNA consistent with “no net loss” state law, the City must identify new sites and amend the Housing Element to reflect the inclusion of new sites.
How have new Housing Element sites been selected?
To comply with state law, new Housing Element sites should meet certain criteria, such as:
Must currently be a Measure K site (Cost Mesa requirement only)
Should not be currently developed with residential uses
Lot size should support realistic residential development
Current development utilization of site should generally be less than 60%
Land should be of higher value than buildings on site
Should support equitable distribution of housing opportunities across the city
If applicable, was recently approved for housing or there is interest to develop as housing
What does it mean to be a Housing Element site?
Housing Element sites are a critical part of the City’s strategy to accommodate its RHNA. Being a Housing Element site comes with some restrictions and some incentives. Housing Element sites:
Are identified as redevelopment opportunities given their high potential for housing
Provide capacity for future housing at various income levels to meet the City’s needs
Allow property owners to unlock redevelopment potential for housing where it was not previously allowed
If redeveloped, must provide housing at a min. of 20 dwelling units per acre of which 50% of the total floor area is housing
To qualify for permitting streamlining, must provide at least 20% of total units as affordable and may qualify for additional incentives through state law (such as the State Density Bonus Law)
How to provide comments?
Access the Draft Housing Element, including a map of the proposed new Housing Element sites, HERE. Between June 8 and June 15, 2026, the community can provide comments on the proposed Draft Housing Element Amendment by:
Providing your comments directly on this project website HERE.
Emailing your comments to neighborhoods@costamesaca.gov.
