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Planning

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Welcome to the City of Costa Mesa's Planning Division. For assistance, please call or email us at (714) 754-5245 or planninginfo@costamesaca.gov.

Costa Mesa would like to introduce you to the City’s new Totally Electronic Self-Service Application (TESSA)!

TESSA is anywhere you are. TESSA will help you submit, pay for, and track all planning land use or development applications and requests, and much more including: 

  • Helps you check for Application and Project Status updates
  • Uploads project documents
  • Helps you view and pay invoices online
  • Sends emails updates at critical steps in the process
  • Provides contact information for specific City staff members assigned to your project
  • Supports electronic plan check
  • Returns plan corrections and receives plan revisions
  • Sends reminders about your project’s upcoming events such as planning commission hearings, city council meetings, and inspection dates if applicable.
  • Helps you search and view public records and historical building data including plans and permits
  • Provides access to official documents

The Planning Division is responsible for implementing the regulations of the Zoning Code and the goals/policies/objectives of the General Plan. A planner’s role is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare of the business and residential community and therefore preserve/enhance the quality of life in the city.

Planning staff apply zoning regulations to promote developments which: 

  • Establish and maintain a balance of land uses throughout the community to preserve the residential character of the City at a level no greater than can be supported by the infrastructure.
  • Ensure the long term productivity and viability of the community's economic base. 
  • Promote land use patterns and development that reinforce neighborhood identity or beautification of the City. 
  • Create a correlation between build-out of the General Plan Land Use Map and Master Plan of Highways. 

Planning staff also are involved in issuance of ministerial permits (i.e. sign permits, banner permits, over-the-counter building permits) and completing plan checks for zoning compliance. The zoning administrator is a staff member who is authorized to approve, conditionally approve, or deny certain discretionary planning applications (i.e., administrative adjustment, minor conditional use permit, and lot line adjustment).

Planning staff provide service to the community, the City Council, and the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission is an appointed body of seven commissioners who act on plans for the regulation of the future growth, development and beautification of the City. The Planning Commission decides on discretionary planning applications (i.e. conditional use permit, variances, master plan, design reviews, subdivision maps, and residential common interest developments). They also make recommendations to the City Council for projects such as rezones, General Plan amendments, Zoning Code amendments, and Specific Plans. Major development projects, appeals of the Planning Commission’s and Zoning Administrator’s decisions, and policy documents are some types of applications which are considered by the City Council.