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The Costa Mesa Planning Commission recommended a proposal to convert the former Los Angeles Chargers training facility at 3333 Susan St. near IKEA into a mixed-use development with 1,050 housing units for rent.
The so-called Hive Live development will next be reviewed by the City Council. The plan calls for the existing three, two-floor buildings on the site, called Hive Creative Office Campus, to be demolished. Adjacent to the buildings is a football field where the Chargers, an NFL team that plays their home games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, used to hold practices.
Legacy Partners Inc., a real estate company based in the San Francisco Bay Area that specializes in multifamily development, is expected to build the 1,050-unit residential project in three phases.
The proposed development also calls for 335,958 square feet of open space, 3,692 square feet of retail space and at least 105 low-income units.
“Hive Live will provide an opportunity to create a true work live environment in North Costa Mesa. Hive Live’s location is conducive for a walk-bike environment to local employers and will support local retail and restaurants such as The Lab/Camp, SOCO, and South Coast Plaza,” Legacy Partners Senior Managing Director Timothy O’Brien said in an August 2024 letter to the city of Costa Mesa.
Phase 1 of the proposed development would see 315 housing units, 523 parking stalls, 27 bicycle spaces and 3,692 square feet of retail uses built at the corner of South Coast Drive and Susan Street.
The second phase proposes bringing online 346 units, 574 parking stalls and 29 bicycle spaces along Susan Street, between South Coast Drive and Sunflower Avenue.
Up to 389 units with 644 parking stalls and 33 bicycle spaces would be developed as part of the project’s third phase, according to city documents.
Each phase would be independent of one another and will have its own amenities, leasing office and distinct architectural elements, according to city staff.
The open space element would include exercise stations, seating, pools, a dog park, art exhibition, roof deck and a coworking area.
The mixed-use development would be built on 14.25 acres that’s currently zoned for industrial uses.
City documents show the residential buildings would reach a maximum height of 77 feet and 6 inches.
The proposal now heads to the Costa Mesa City Council for review and could still be amended, changed or even denied.
Anduril at Hive Live
A few tenants fill space at Hive Creative Office Campus, according to city staff reports.
Anduril, a major defense contractor, maintains its corporate headquarters at 1400 Sunflower Ave., less than a mile from the Hive Creative Office Campus.
The Palmer Luckey company also leases space at Hive Creative Office Campus. Costa Mesa city staff said Anduril could still maintain a presence at the Hive Live property, even though the building where it leases space there would be demolished.
“While not proposed at this point, Anduril has a right of first offer to develop an additional office building on the Phase 1 site,” city staff said in a report to Costa Mesa Planning Commissioners. “If an office is proposed in the future of the southern parcel after the entitlement of Hive Live, then the future office project would require a Master Plan amendment and would be reviewed on its own merits.”
Hive Creative Office Campus
The site where Hive Creative Office Campus currently stands was used for agricultural purposes until 2002. The land was converted into the office campus by 2004, with the LA Chargers arriving there in 2017.
Chargers ownership announced in 2023 they would relocate the team’s operations to El Segundo.
Tenants at 3335 Susan St. include Agility Fuel Systems and SteelWave. Those leasing space at neighboring 3337 Susan St. include Anduril, Lazy Dog Restaurants, Legacy Partners and Morrissey Associates.
Costa Mesa’s Housing Plan
Bringing 1,050 residential units to Hive Live would, according to city staff, help improve Costa Mesa’s jobs-to-housing balance.
About 57% of the city’s residents are renters and Hive Live would add more rental units to Costa Mesa’s housing stock. Adding more rental units would disrupt Costa Mesa’s goal of closing the gap between renters and homeowners, according to city staff. But Costa Mesa must also meet state mandated housing allocations, meaning the 1,050 rental units at Hive Live would help Costa Mesa provide new housing opportunities to residents.
The Costa Mesa housing element for 2021 to 2029 aims to satisfy the state’s mandate to add more residential units within the city by proposing 11,760 new units by 2030.