Backers want to open automotive museum in Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa planning commissioners are expected to examine a proposal Monday to add a vintage car museum to the city’s Westside.

Beverly Hills Motorsport, 1609 Pomona Ave., wants to convert a nearby industrial building on Farad Street into a museum.

The building, constructed in 1967 at 729 Farad, has an added-on mezzanine for a total of 12,674 square feet. The structure, owned by Richard Cushman, is being used as storage space for vintage vehicles and has been used by Books on Tape as a warehouse and office.

Motorsport’s plans call for 9,589 square feet of display space, open six days a week from noon to 11 p.m., and a two-story cafe serving lunch and dinner.

Museum pieces would include automobiles from the early 1900s to the present and a variety of Formula One-related racing memorabilia and engines.

No car sales would be conducted at the site, and the museum would be open to the public, except during special events or membership gatherings on evenings and weekends.

The operators have applied for a liquor license and are open to hosting charity events and anniversary and birthday parties.

City planners say Motorsport has enough parking to handle day-to-day operations, but want attendance for special events to be restricted to no more than 100 people — 50 less than Motorsport’s owners are seeking.

City planners contend that the museum and its events would be a compatible addition to the area, which is dominated by industrial and automotive-related uses.

More than 50 signatures and business cards were submitted to demonstrate area support for the museum.