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Home My WebLink AboutNB-4 - 25-606 - Attachment 2 - Applicant Letter - 1/20/2026 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 1 CREDE December 5, 2025 Ms. Carrie Tai Director of Economic & Development Services City of Costa Mesa 77 Fair Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626 Re: Urban Master Plan Screening Application, Placentia & 16th – 1626 Placentia Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92627 Dear Ms. Carrie Tai: I. Introduction Please accept this Urban Master Plan Screening Application (“UMPSA”) on behalf of Warmington Residential, (“Applicant”) to redevelop an Industrial lot in Costa Mesa with state-of-the-art townhomes (“Placentia & 16th”). Attached in support of this UMPSA, please find: 1. UMPSA 2. Full-size project plan sets, including: a. Site Plan b. Floor Plans c. Elevation Plans d. Roof Plans 3. Drainage Study 4. Erosion Control Study 5. Public Notification Requirement 6. Title Report 7. Water Quality Report 8. Site Photos (digital format) 9. Filing Fee Payment II. Project Description A. Legal Description The South 165 feet of lot 711 of the Newport Mesa Tract, in the City of Costa Mesa, County of Orange, State of California, as shown on a map recorded in book 5, page 1, of miscellaneous maps, in the office of the County recorder of said County. Continued on next page ⟶ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 2 CREDE B. Location and Existing Conditions The project site consists of a 1.4-acre industrial parcel (APN: 424-121-02) located at 1626 Placentia Avenue within the Manufacturing (MG) zone. The property is developed with two primary structures, including a 13,100 SF warehouse that was renovated in 2019 into a corporate office, and an adjacent 3,450 SF warehouse. The site also contains a covered maintenance area and surface parking. Below please find a summary of the Project Site in Table 1 and a map of the location as provided in Figure 1: TABLE 1: EXISTING SITE SUMMARY Consideration Information Project Site Size 1.4 acres Address 1626 Placentia Ave APN 424-121-02 Zoning Designation Manufacturing ("MG") Existing Structure Warehouse, Office Building, Maintenance Area Building Sq Ft to be Demolished 16,550 ft2 Existing Parking Ground-level, uncovered stalls FIGURE 1: SITE LOCATION MAP Continued on next page ⟶ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 3 CREDE C. Background The site falls within the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan area, which was established as a residential overlay zone by the Costa Mesa City Council on April 4, 2006, and later amended on April 5, 2016. Once a Master Plan application is approved, the development standards of the underlying zoning district are replaced by those outlined in the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan. This area primarily comprises industrial and commercial properties in Westside Costa Mesa, located south of 19th Street and along Placentia Avenue between 19th Street and Victoria Avenue. The purpose of the Urban Plan is to encourage reinvestment within its boundaries by conditionally allowing residential development. D. Proposed Project The proposed Placentia and 16th townhome community at 1626 Placentia Avenue consists of six residential buildings. Four buildings total 13,323 square feet each and contain six townhome units per building. Two additional buildings total 11,110 square feet each and contain five townhome units per building. The unit mix alternates between 3bd/3ba homes at 1,432 net square feet and 4bd/4ba live-work homes at 1,667 net square feet. Each townhome includes a private patio ranging from 122 to 131 square feet, a private deck ranging from 78-80 square feet, and a two-car garage ranging from 457 to 606 square feet. The project provides a total of 80 onsite parking spaces, which includes 68 enclosed garage spaces and 12 guest spaces. Warmington, the developer of Placentia & 16th, is a privately held real estate development firm based in Costa Mesa, California, has been in business since 1926. With nearly a century of experience, Warmington has built more than 40,000 homes and currently operates in multiple markets across California and Nevada. The company’s divisions include Warmington Residential, which focuses on homebuilding, and Warmington Properties, which manages a portfolio of multifamily, commercial, and student housing assets. Known for its commitment to q uality and design, Warmington continues to develop communities ranging from single-family homes to urban infill projects. Continued on next page ⟶ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 4 CREDE A statistical summary of the proposed project can be found in Table 2, below: TABLE 2: PROPOSED PROJECT SUMMARY Consideration Information Building Size 13,323 (6 units) / 11,110 sf (5 units) Unit Size 1,432 nsf/du (18 units) Unit Size (Live-Work) 1,667 nsf/du (16 units) Private Patios 122-131 sf/du Private Decks 78-80 sf/du Garage size 457-606 sf/du Building Height 37 ft 11-inch max. Parking Spaces 80 E. SB 330 The Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (Chapter 654, Statutes of 2019 (SB 330)) strengthened protections for housing development projects under the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), Planning and Zoning Law, and the Permit Streamlining Act. Among other provisions, to increase transparency and certainty early in the development application process, SB 330 allows a housing developer the option of submitting a “preliminary application” for any housing development project (, § 65589.5, subdivision (o)). Submittal of a preliminary application allows a developer to provide a specific subset of information on the proposed housing development before providing the complete information required by the local government. Upon submittal of an application and a payment of the permit processing fee, a housing developer is allowed to “freeze” the applicable standards to their project early while they assemble the rest of the material necessary for a full application submittal. This ensures development requirements do not change during this time, adding costs to a project due to potential redesigns due to changing local standards. On July 15, 2025, we submitted to the City an SB330 preliminary application (PPRE-25-0002), the required fee was paid and pre-app deemed complete on August 7, 2025. To maintain our vesting, we must submit a full development review application within 180 days of the pre-app, which is February 3, 2026. We intend to submit a full development review application after the Urban Master Plan Screening (UMP Screening) process has concluded and we have incorporated any feedback received from the City Council. Continued on next page ⟶ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 5 CREDE F. Density Bonus Under California Government Code Section 65915, housing developments that include affordable units are eligible for a density bonus. This project has a base density of 28 units. By setting aside 5% of the units (2 units) for very low-income households, the project qualifies for a 20% density bonus. This bonus allows for 6 additional units, increasing the total allowable units to 34. G. Waivers and Concessions This project is requesting waivers from the following development standards outlined in Table A2 (Live-Work) of the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan: 1. Minimum workspace size. 2. Required open space for the development lot. 3. Front build-to line requirement. 4. Building separation <10 ft In addition, the project seeks a concession from the requirement to underground adjacent electrical utility poles (Costa Mesa Municipal Code Section 13-71(d). The applicant also reserves the right to request additional waivers, incentives, and concessions pursuant to CA Government Code Section 65915. III. Land Use Regulation Consistency Review A. Zoning Consistency The project site is zoned Manufacturing (MG) under the City of Costa Mesa Zoning Code; however, residential uses such as townhomes are permitted through the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan. The proposed townhome project complies with applicable requirements of the Mesa West Bluffs Urban Plan. The development meets standards for maximum building height (not to exceed 40 feet), private patios, guest parking, landscaping (minimum 10%), and screened trash/recycling areas. The project also addresses transitional design elements to buffer adjacent industrial uses, includes adequate on-site parking, and provides a private driving aisle for resident access and emergency vehicles. All units comply with minimum lot size, floor area ratio, and architectural design standards for multi-unit residential development within a modified manufacturing context. Continued on next page ⟶ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 6 CREDE IV. Conclusion The proposed Placentia & 16th townhomes will provide high-quality for-sale homes, meeting a critical community need while fully complying with Costa Mesa’s zoning and regulatory standards. We look forward to collaborating with the City and providing any additional information needed. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Michael Johnston CREDE Group ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 7 CREDE Exhibit A ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PAGE 8 CREDE