Opinions differ on why Newport projects delayed

NEWPORT BEACH -- The three biggest developments targeted by the

proposed Greenlight measure have slipped out of the planning process

until September, with developers and city officials citing time crunches

and vacation conflicts.

Councilman Tod Ridgeway said he’ll propose to delay a vote on all

major projects as they appear before the council until after the Nov. 7

election.

Supporters of the slow-growth initiative claim the postponements were

motivated by business leaders and council members trying to avoid public

scrutiny during Greenlight’s high-profile campaign. The initiative

proposes to give voters the final say on some major developments even

after City Council approval.

The measure’s supporters have pointed to the Koll Center Newport and

Conexant Systems Inc. expansions, as well as the Newport Dunes hotel

proposal, as prime examples of projects that would be put to a vote if

their initiative was in place.

“The word is out,” said Greenlight spokesman Phil Arst. “Ridgeway

called for a moratorium. Rather than have the City Council delay them

with the absurd excuse Mayor Noyes gave about the Dunes, they’ve

voluntarily withdrawn.”

However, officials from Koll Center and Conexant argue that their

postponements had little to do with Greenlight.

“It’s simply not true,” said Koll Center Newport partner Tim Strader.

“I have a business meeting in Florida. It’s no attempt to delay in any

way. We’ve been in the process for three years; another few months won’t

impact us.”

Koll’s announcement was the latest in a series of postponements,

starting with the council’s decision last month to push back a decision

on the $100-million Dunes hotel project until September. Council members

claimed that too many members would be on vacation, and that they needed

more time to comb through the project’s details.

Conexant officials were the second to push their project back, saying

they wanted to wait until the city irons out its study of the John Wayne

Airport area.

City officials are proposing an agreement in which developers around

the airport area -- like Koll and Conexant -- pay a fee to relieve some

of the potential effects their projects would have on traffic. Conexant

could pay as much as $5.7 million.

“The City Council’s long-range revenue plans will have an impact on

our project,” said Lisa Briggs, spokeswoman for Conexant, adding that the

two groups are still hammering out the finer points of the agreement.