Costa Nova: A Town Built Between Water and Change
Costa Nova has always been a town shaped by what surrounds it.
The Ohlone Wetland borders one side of the community. Agricultural land once stretched across much of the other. Between them grew the neighborhoods, schools, businesses, and public spaces that generations of residents have called home.
Today, Costa Nova is changing faster than at almost any other point in its history.
It isn't the first time.
Historical Milestones
Before Costa Nova
Protecting the Ohlone Wetland
Growth, Development, and a New Costa Nova
Long before the city carried its current name, the land surrounding the Ohlone Wetland supported Indigenous communities who relied on the area's freshwater, plants, fish, birds, and seasonal wildlife.
The wetland itself changed naturally over generations as water levels shifted and marshland expanded and contracted.
Later settlement brought farms, roads, permanent buildings, and eventually the small commercial district from which modern Costa Nova developed.
Some remnants of that early agricultural history remain visible today in older properties, road names, and preserved areas surrounding the city.
By the late twentieth century, development around the Bay Area had dramatically reduced many natural habitats.
Costa Nova residents began organizing to protect the Ohlone Wetland from similar loss.
Conservation efforts eventually resulted in protected areas, restricted development zones, public trails, and wildlife-monitoring programs.
Those protections remain controversial.
Conservation organizations argue that the wetland's survival depends upon limiting human activity.
Others believe responsible recreation, research, tourism, and development can coexist with environmental protection.
That disagreement continues shaping Costa Nova politics today.
By the 2010s, Costa Nova faced a familiar problem.
The town needed housing, infrastructure, jobs, and investment—but residents disagreed sharply about how much development Costa Nova could absorb without losing what made the community distinctive.
Into that debate came businessman Steve Keeley.
Keeley's companies invested heavily in Costa Nova, purchasing property, opening businesses, funding community programs, and partnering with the city on a major development initiative.
The project promised new infrastructure, commercial development, jobs, and hundreds of units of affordable and workforce housing.
Its impact is difficult to miss.
So is the controversy surrounding it.
Supporters credit Keeley investment with revitalizing parts of Costa Nova.
Critics argue that the city has become dangerously dependent on one businessman and question why several promised projects remain unfinished.
That argument became one of the defining issues of the 2026 mayoral campaign.
A Town Takes Shape
Costa Nova expanded significantly during the twentieth century as families settled in the area and local agriculture gave way to neighborhoods and small businesses.
The town center developed around what is now Artisan Way, with independent shops, restaurants, municipal offices, and community services gradually forming the commercial center residents still recognize today.
Nova Vista High School opened as the population grew, eventually becoming one of Costa Nova's largest community institutions.
For decades, Costa Nova remained relatively small.
Residents often described that as both its greatest strength and its greatest limitation.
THE LOFTON YEARS
Few families became as closely associated with Costa Nova government as the Loftons.
Former Mayor Samuel Lofton Sr. entered public service during a period of increasing debate over Costa Nova's future.
Supporters remember Lofton as a demanding administrator who pushed the city to think beyond short-term political victories. His administration dealt with infrastructure, business development, environmental protection, and the challenge of preparing a growing town for the decades ahead.
Critics sometimes described him as uncompromising.
Even many of them acknowledged his influence.
Several people who began their careers during the Lofton administration later became prominent Costa Nova leaders, including current Mayor Rachel Redford, who has repeatedly described Samuel Lofton as her political mentor.
Samuel and his wife, Odessa Lofton, raised their family in Costa Nova, at 1537 Bellweather Lane.
Costa Nova Today
Modern Costa Nova is difficult to describe with one story.
It is a town where a protected wetland sits minutes from construction sites.
A billionaire developer sponsors the same carnival where conservation activists distribute petitions against him.
Hollywood productions film beside wildlife habitats.
Families who have lived here for generations share streets with people who arrived last year.
Nova Vista students grow up surrounded by arguments their parents and grandparents never finished.
And nearly everyone agrees on at least one thing:
Costa Nova is changing.
What nobody agrees on is what it should become.
Heritage & Landmarks
The Old Lighthouse
Built in 1892, this beacon has guided generations of coastal travelers and remains a symbol of our community's resilience.
Founders Square
The original heart of our town, where the first community gatherings took place under the legacy coastal oaks.
Heritage Path
A scenic trail connecting our most vital cultural sites, preserved to showcase the natural and human history of the coast.
Community Pioneers
Elias Thorne
Town Founder & First Mayor
Clara Rossi
Pioneer of the Coastal Cannery
The Silva Family
Stewards of the South Shore Lighthouse
Capt. Julian Vance
Architect of the Costa Nova Pier
Preserve Our Town's Journey
Costa Nova's history is written by its people. Whether it's a family story, a vintage photograph, or a memory of life by the shore, your contribution helps keep our heritage alive for generations to come.