Costa Mesa : Council Approves Fees to Underwrite Freeway

New developments within designated areas of the city will be assessed to pay for construction of the proposed San Joaquin Hills freeway under a fee program approved by the City Council this week.

The council voted 3 to 2, with members Dave Wheeler and Mary Hornbuckle dissenting, to impose the fees. They will be levied on developers of a 3.2-square-mile area north of the San Diego and Corona del Mar freeways and east of Harbor Boulevard.

Developers in the area, which includes about 300 acres of vacant land, will be charged $1,010 per single family residence, $590 per apartment and $1.30 per square foot of commercial space. The fees will not affect existing developments, remodeling, additions or reconstruction projects.

As proposed, the San Joaquin Hills freeway will run from the end of the Corona del Mar Freeway south to Mission Viejo at an estimated cost of $341.6 million, about half of which will be raised by the fee programs in Costa Mesa and other cities along the route.

Costa Mesa joins the cities of Newport Beach, Santa Ana, Irvine, San Clemente, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano in establishing fees and forming a Joint Powers Authority to govern the program. The freeway is expected to be built in about 15 years.