Years of stalled plans for a café at Lions Park are finally taking shape as construction begins, but financial mismanagement delayed progress.
Construction has begun on a long-anticipated café at Costa Mesa’s Lions Park, after nearly a decade of delays caused by funding issues. The project, located near the Donald Dungan Library and Norma Hertzog Community Center, aims to complete the city’s vision for the park’s west-side community hub.
Public Works Director Raja Sethurman admitted that while the café was originally part of the Lions Park renovation, poor financial planning left the project in limbo. “The café was already designed as part of that project,” Sethurman said, but lack of foresight meant it was excluded from Phase I. “We didn’t know about the funding,” he added, acknowledging the misstep.
The larger Lions Park renovation has already seen several upgrades, including the reopening of the library in 2019 and the community center in 2021. The Airplane Park playground, another key feature of the park, was also completed during this time. However, the café was pushed aside due to escalating costs and inadequate budgeting.
It wasn’t until 2022, when the county intervened with a $1.2 million allocation, that the café plans were resurrected. By that point, the project’s estimated cost had ballooned from $1.4 million to $2.3 million, further illustrating the city’s mishandling of the project’s finances.
With renewed momentum, Costa Mesa officials contracted Johnson Favaro, the architectural firm responsible for the park’s library and community center, to design a modest 1,100-square-foot café building. The café will include food prep and storage areas, a staff restroom, and space for a contracted vendor to serve walk-up customers. The area will also feature landscaping, wood decking, and outdoor seating near the Downtown Recreation Center.
Sethurman emphasized that the café will be the final component in Costa Mesa’s broader Lions Park redevelopment. “The Lions Park playground has been very well regarded,” he said, suggesting the café will enhance the park’s appeal. However, the years of delays raise questions about the city’s ability to effectively manage large-scale community projects.
If current timelines are met, the café could be serving customers by fall 2025.
