What happened
From state hospital to state opportunity.
Fairview State Hospital opens
The State of California opens Fairview on 752 acres in Costa Mesa as a residential facility serving Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities, later renamed the Fairview Developmental Center.
Most of the land goes to the city
The State transfers much of the original acreage to the City of Costa Mesa. Land sold for the golf course leaves the campus wrapped by fairways on three sides, with Harbor Boulevard on the fourth.
The Legislature approves closure
As California shifts developmental care to community and group-home settings, the State approves a closure plan for Fairview. Residents transition to community living over the following years.
A 121-acre campus sits quiet
The remaining state-owned campus, about 121 acres, largely empties. Sacramento identifies it as surplus property with the potential to help meet Orange County's housing need.
15 acres reserved for emergency operations
The State designates roughly 15 acres at the southwest corner for a new Southern Campus of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, used for training, simulations, and coordination.
Drag the slider. Left: the original Fairview campus map. Right: the conceptual land use plan from the City's Public Review Draft.